In the Beginning
by Slayer of Demise
Summary: Nearly six years after the events of Mother 3 , Lucas finds himself living with Boney in his lonely, empty home. He seems to have fallen into depression, but Kumatora suggests something to brighten his life for the better; he should adopt a kid. Lucas goes to a far away orphanage, finding an odd, vulgar nine year old boy by the name of Barri, who leads a very interesting life...
1. Prologue

Prologue

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Hey, I am (or rather, was) Andrew the Pichu that Has Fire. I got a new Fan Fiction account for various reasons and decided to do several things. I'll explain a little of it here, but just skip this if you give no shits and only wish to read this rewrite. One, I wanted a new username because my old one was long, crappy, and not as awesome, so it made more sense to me to make a new account rather than just change my account. I also got bored or just disliked a lot of my old fics, but I wanted to continue/rewrite a few of them since I've improved in my writing skills over the last couple of months, so it would be easier to just start on a new slate. I also wanted to rewrite this story because when I first made this, it was a sort of parody of some Vocaloid songs, but then I thought that was stupid and changed it half way through, so I want to fix some things and take/add other things to make it better and coherent. I think there are some other reasons for my new account I can't think of because my head's nearly dead right now, so I might bring things up later if I really feel like it. Excuse my nonsensical ramblings, and please enjoy the rewrite of this story.

**DISCLAIMER: Silly person, we don't own Mother 3, Mother 3 owns you! (And now this is apparently Soviet Russia)**

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Lucas POV

My mother's quaint word echoed through my ears. She wasn't here in this dark underground, but I could still hear her calming voice. "Come to your mother. You must be so exhausted. Come here, Claus." The boy across from me took off the helmet he had been wearing, his flaming red hair hair and mismatched eyes filled with confusion now revealed. He looked like me. He was my brother, the brother that should have been dead. He wasn't dead, but it didn't feel like he was living either. I wanted to reach out to him, but nothing I did would wake him up and make him realize what he had been doing all this time. Our mother, from beyond the grave, pleaded for him to come to his senses. She was able to do it, but I think it was too late to save him. He looked at me, smiling with sorrow and a bit of regret. He seemed like himself, but something was wrong. He raised his sword to the sky, and nowhere, an intense bolt of lightning aimed to strike me, but the badge on my chest reflected the lightning. He knew what he was doing, we both did. It was just like him, if he knew he had been causing pain to others, he would rather die than live with the burden. He stumbled to me, dragging his feet and gripping his bloodied arm. He collapsed, leaving my body to support him. I could feel his limp arms trying to hold me, and the tears falling on my shoulder didn't seem to stop. I embraced him, not wanting to let go, though I knew what would happen to him. I remembered what he smelled like, he always smelled like the trees in the forest because that's where we liked to play as young children. I wished we could go back once more, even if for a moment, but that was just a long lost fantasy now. I could feel his arms dropping by his side, the warmth in his body was fading fast. It's been so long since I'd heard his voice, the faint and distant tone in it didn't suit him at all. He shouldn't have been dying, he shouldn't have... "I'm sorry Lucas… Won't you forgive me? I hope that… we'll meet again someday..."

v(-_-)v

Waking up, I felt my heart jump in my chest. I looked up to the window, bright with the light of the sun. I shielded my eyes with my hand, feeling that my cheeks were wet and my face was warm. I've been having that dream a lot more lately, and it's been getting progressively worse. It may have been because of what happened last month, the nightmares kept coming back around then. Grandpa Alec had a heart attack when I came to visit him in the mountains. I couldn't get help in time to save him. He's had a medical condition for the past four years that was critical, but he refused to move down to the village where he'd be well cared for. He was always an independent person, and I always respected him for that. The last time I had those nightmares like that was almost five years ago. Dad was killed in a storm by a heavy landslide, he was out looking for Claus. He thought Claus was still alive because he didn't remember what had happened before I pulled the final needle. No one remembered except for Kumatora, Duster, Boney, myself, and Wess. When I pulled the final needle and summoned the dragon, it was almost if things had returned to the time after Claus had disappeared, and everyone else just lived life as they had before. That also meant dad had no idea that Claus wasn't in the mountains, and he kept searching. I wanted to tell him the truth so many times, but I couldn't do it. I doubt he would have listened to me at all, he was always extremely stubborn. The last time I saw him, he was leaving to look for my brother in the rain, saying he had the feeling that this time for sure he would bring Claus home. I guess in some sad, twisted way of irony, he was right.

I sighed lazily, dragging myself out of my small bed and rubbing the tears off my face, "Maybe I should visit Duster and Kumatora, I hope they're not busy today..." I quickly showered and dressed, throwing on a wrinkled shirt and a baggy pullover jacket, not too concerned with what I wore. I brushed my teeth and sloppily brushed my hair before going into the kitchen to throw a small meal together. I'm not much of a cook since I only know how to make omelets, but I'm fine with eating them all day long, so it's not really much of a deal. After scarfing the whole plate down, I walked outside only to be attacked by my hyperactive friend that enjoyed barking and licking my face. "H-hey Boney, looks like you're up early." Over the course of six years, my beloved decade old dog has barely aged, yet I sometimes hit my head on the top of the door frame because I've grown so tall. I was extremely short as a child, so people often think now that I'm a giant. "I'm going to Kumatora's, want to come?" He nodded, "Sure thing!"

The town was always quiet in the morning since most people were just getting up. I never felt that comfortable around the villagers, so I always got up earlier if I wanted to go somewhere and I needed to pass through the village. They always treated me like a child that needed to be carefully looked after, but it's not like I blame them. They still don't know how to deal with death, and they don't think I do either. I know they mean well, but I find it better not to make a lot of contact with them. We walked through Sunshine Forest near the hot spring, going in between the trees until we reached a small cottage. It was similar to the houses of the Magypsys, only it was a light cerulean color instead of violet. I knocked twice exactly and was greeted by a familiar princess, "Hey guys, I was hoping you'd be coming today, Duster's already here."

"Hey, Lucas. Hey, Boney.", Duster groaned from the table in the kitchen. He was holding an ice pack up to his head. "Are you okay? What happened?", I asked worriedly. "Kumatora-" "O-Oh it was nothing, just a little bump from running into the wall!", the girl said nervously, waving her hands frantically. I decided I didn't want to know what really happened and let it slide, it was probably something embarrassing. For some reason, things like this happen a lot. "So how have you guys been doing?", I inquired. "Good, but there's been nothing much to do. I got so bored that yesterday, I went to Oshoe and started counting the windows and doors. Forty-two doors and seventy-eight windows, go count them yourself if you really want to.", Kumatora complained and fell backwards on the couch. "And my dad hasn't given me anything to do this whole week since he's been trying to be on the down-low lately.", Duster added boredly.

I sighed, "Oh, that doesn't sound so great. Boney's been alright, but I'm not so sure about myself…" Duster and Kumatora have both known I haven't been well lately, I know they're worried about me trying to seclude myself in my house. Kumatora says she can relate to me with loss of family, so she understand more than others. "Yeah, maybe if you adopted a kid, you'd have someone to spend time with.", Duster laughed jokingly. Kumatora leaped off her seat and pointed at him, "That's a brilliant idea!" "What?", Duster and I said in unison. "Lucas should adopt a child!" Kumatora's always coming up with the weirdest ideas, she always keeps pushing us to help her find a way to ride boars from the mountains like horses. I laughed at her silly suggestion, "Kumatora, that's insane. I don't think I could even care for a child." "Just think about it, Lucas! You're always stuck in your house by yourself like an anti-social hermit! With a kid, you'd have someone to care for and keep you company!", she practically shouted. "I swear you're crazy…"

"And," Kumatora continued, ignoring my comment, "If you do adopt a kid, it would make you both happy! You're a likeable person, so it'd be great!" Duster cut into the conversation, trying to console the princess, "But there isn't even an orphanage in Tazmily, and do you honestly think this is such a good idea?" "Well, it doesn't sound like too much of a stretch, and I do well with children…", I stated a bit hesitantly. Kumatora agreed, "That's the sprit! And besides, there's an orphanage outside of town, he can go there! It's settled, let's begin the perpetrations!" Then, Kumatora grabbed my arm, and dragged me out the cottage, Boney happily following behind. "Wait!", Duster shouted, running after us.

_Two weeks later…_

_ It's already 2 o' clock_, I thought, _I should hurry before it gets late._ I took a quick turn around a tree and sighing with some relief when I found what I was looking for, "I'm finally here…" In front of me was a large, white house. The arched sign over the entrance read "Morelle Noire Orphanage", the name of the place Kumatora told me to go. It looked like a nice place, but to be honest, I was extremely nervous_. What if I can't find a child that I can take care of? What if I can, but they hate me?_ _No, I can't think like that, it won't help to get myself worked up like this. Kumatora would kill me if I didn't go through with this too…_ I walked up to the door and slowly knocked, part of me hoped no one would answer. A woman with large red eyes and long silver hair answered it, she had a young face and looked like a nice person. She smiled, "Hello sir, can I help you?" "O-oh, well, I-I want to a-adopt a child. Th-this is an orphanage, r-right?" I stuttered, my shyness getting the best of me. I never did do well with talking to strangers.

"Oh, then please come inside." I walked in, the building was much larger on the inside, bright furniture and paintings were everywhere, it actually looked more like a daycare center. _At least the inside feels inviting too… _"Are you looking for a particular kind of child?", the lady asked. "Oh, um, no. W-well actually, if it's not too much trouble, maybe a boy. Around 8 or 9 if it's not an inconvenience.", I said, slightly flustered. The woman smiled sweetly, "You're a bit nervous, huh? That's okay hun, follow me. All the children are outside in the backyard." The two of us walked down the long hallway, and out the back door. Outside, there were at least 30 or more children playing. Many were playing tag or on the slides and running around without a care in the world. But there was one child that caught my eye.

He was sitting on a swing under a tree all by himself. His eyes were a peculiar shade of amber that definitely stood out from everything else. He had dark hair that was so messy that he looked as though he'd just woken up, but I had the feeling that he normally looked like that. He wore striped t-shirt that looked like a bee's body and pale verdant shorts under his blue jacket that looked big on such a small child. There were two other things that bothered me about him. He looked like the most miserable person in the world, like he was ready to just die where he was. He reminded me of myself... he had the same look I used to have. Then there was something else… I didn't know what it was though, there was just something about him that just seemed to bother me. "Who is the child on the swing?", I asked the woman. Her joyous smile became a hesitant frown, "Oh, that's Barri. He's nine years old. Many people have tried to adopt him, but…" "But what?" "He doesn't really get along with others. There was one friend he had here that he got along with, Jake, but he died of a sickness three months ago. Ever since then, he gets easily angered and throws horrible tantrums. There have been rumors that he's been cursed; whenever he touches people, they sometimes get shocked or burned. It's just strange…" _Shocked or burned… It's almost as if…_

I spoke slowly, still thinking about what she said, "I see, I'd like to adopt him if that isn't an issue." "Are you sure?", the woman asked, completely in shock. "I'm absolutely positive."

_Barri POV_

"Barri!" I looked up and saw Jennifer in the doorway the house, waving over to me. I groan with an annoyed tone, getting up from the rusted swing. I knew the other children were looking at me when I walked towards the house, they always poked their stubby little noses in my business. I glared at her when I made it in the house, away from the curious eyes on my back, "Whatever the hell those brats said, I didn't do it. Now will you just leave me alone?" "Barri, you're not in trouble, you're being adopted." "What? By who?"

"Um, by me actually."

I turned around to see really tall guy who looked around seventeen or eighteen. His blonde hair was short and curled into a cowlick and he had big, watery blue eyes that looked like a baby's. I could tell he seemed extremely awkward and child-like, but there was something about him that bothered me. I didn't know what it was, but I didn't like it. I glared at him silently. He looked me in the eyes and smiled kindly, "I'm Lucas, and I guess you're Barri." _Oh hell, I hate this guy already. I'll try to shock him to scare him off._ I held out my hand, "Yeah, that's me." He shook my hand, "You seem like a very nice boy." He didn't react at all to the shock, I was confused why until I realized that I _couldn't _shock him. _Wait, why can't I shock him? Haven't had trouble with doing it before, so what the hell is this? There's something wrong with this guy, I can tell…_

We let go and I eyed him suspiciously, "You've probably heard about me since you know my name, right? So why do you want to adopt me?" "Well," Lucas said, seeming to speak sincerely, "You remind me of myself, and I don't believe in rumors if they're not true." Out of all the answers I expected, that wasn't one of them. _"He seems very kind, give him a chance.",_ one of the voices in my head told me. _"Sounds like a good idea. You could probably mess around with him for fun.",_ said the other that always sounded exactly the same. I've had them in my head for almost four months, and they always talk. I think I might be crazy, especially because I talk to them sometimes. I try to ignore them, but sometimes I can't. What the hell, I sound like a damn psycho. As far as I know, I am.

I ignored them, thinking for myself. _This guy really bothers me and I'm already sure I don't like him, but there's something I feel like I have to know about him… Whatever, I'll just go along with what he says. _"Okay then, let's go already", I said with a bored tone, "The sooner I'm out of this dump, the better."


	2. Chapter One

Chapter One: Maybe, Maybe Not

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Meh. Not really much to say; it's three in the morning, my insomnia isn't helping me sleep, and I don't have jack to do except this, so why the fuck not? Chapter, blah blah blah, Metal Gear.

**DISCLAIMER: If I owned this series, we'd have this game in North America. Do we have it? No, now go buy me some Taco Bell.**

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_Barri POV_

By the time we were out of the hell hole and got to Lucas's town, Tazmily Village, nightfall had already come. From what he told me, we were walking all the way to his house which was actually right outside of the village. "So do you have any hobbies?", he asked, trying to break the ice. A small part of me wanted to say something horrible, but one of the voices in my head said, _"Be nice to him, he seems to want to be friendly."_ I sighed to the voice, _"Fine, I'll try, just leave me alone."_ "I read and I like being around animals. Nothing much." , I replied curtly. He smiled, "That's great, I have a dog named Boney. He's about ten years old, but he's pretty hyper for his age."

_He acts way too nice, it's really annoying. I shouldn't be too trusting with him incase he's just another faker. "You're right, it could just all be an act." "Shut up.", _I mentally scolded the voice, they'll usually stop bothering me when I tell them something. "I'm not much of a dog lover.", I lied, I'm more of a dog lover than anything else. "Oh, you don't?", he sounded surprised, like he knew I wasn't telling the truth. "No, they're annoying, especially the hyper ones." Again, another lie. The blonde seemed a bit depressed by my answer, I almost felt bad for him, "Well, that's too bad. At least I keep him outside, he really knows how to make a mess of the house." "Good."

_"Barri, you shouldn't be so mean, he just wants to get to know you better."_

_"Don't listen to him, he's an idiot. Being nice doesn't get you anywhere."_

_"Being mean doesn't do much good either. Don't listen to him, he just wants to make you miserable."_

_"Really? You're the one saying this? Ironic."_

_"Stop being rude, it doesn't help."_

_"Who said I was helping?"_

"SHUT UP!"

I can't stand when those two would fight, they bicker like an old married couple. Sometimes they won't stop until I have to yell out loud for them to shut the hell up. And unfortunately, they almost always start arguing when I'm around someone. "I wasn't talking, Barri…", Lucas said slowly. I looked up and saw him staring at me with a puzzled expression. Great, just fucking great. Now he thinks that I'm insane, as if knowing all those bullshit rumors wasn't enough already. "Uh, never mind, forget I said anything.", I told him, turning away. "All right." _Really? He really brushed it off just like that? What the hell is this guy? "Who knows, maybe he's just as insane as you." "Just shut up."_

The next five minutes walking to Lucas's house was not at all awkward (and I say that with great sarcasm), what would any normal person suspect after someone was yelling nonsense to themselves? Oh well, it's better to just drop it. We advanced through the lower part of town, down a small road, and to the top of a hill where a lone house was standing. It was made mostly of wood, and it seemed pretty large if it was just for the two of us. "Well, this is home. Sorry, it might be a little messy inside... ", Lucas said nervously. Immediately after he spoke, a brown dog came running out of the dog house by the front door. The hound continued sprinting towards us and tackled Lucas harshly. "Hey, Boney, did you miss me?", the blonde asked. I'm not sure how it's even possible, but I can talk to animals. Then again, I'm apparently psychotic, so it just might be me hallucinating. The dog spoke with a loving and adoring tone, "Yup, it gets really boring without you here!" Then the dog looked at me and "barked" at me, "Who is he, the boy you adopted?" "This is Barri, he's going to be living with us now.", the blonde told Boney.

_Can he understand what the dog is saying too? The way he answered…_ _"You never know unless you ask." "Don't ask, he already thinks you're insane."_ I growled at the voices with annoyance, _"Shut up, you two have already caused me enough trouble today."_ "Say hi, Boney", Lucas said. The dog got off him and walked over to me, "Hello Barri, you're very quiet, do you talk much?" "Hey, Boney.", I said nonchalantly. "Okay, Boney, it's really late, you should go to bed.", Lucas said, patting the dog on the head. He nodded, then returned to its little shelter. Lucas unlocked the front door and pushed it opened it, "Come on, Barri, it's cold out here."

I sighed, "Yeah, yeah…" I followed him inside while he turned on the lights. The kitchen wasn't really that bad, better than I expected it to be actually. "Well, this is the kitchen, if you want I can make you dinner.", the blonde offered. The last time I ate was like about right after I finished packing, and it was only some kind of trial mix. I hate trail mix yet I don't even know why I ate it. Regardless, I wasn't about to let someone I just met cook for me, I shook my head, "I'm not hungry." I could tell that he was debating with himself whether he should force me to dine on something or to just let me be. Eventually, he shrugged, "Okay, let me show you you're room." We walked down the small corridor and stopped at the very last door. He opened it and we entered a very (surprisingly) clean bedroom. "I haven't been in here for a really long time, so there might be some dust." "Why not?", I asked. He started acting nervous, "O-oh, no reason, you should put your bags down then I'll give you a bath." _He seems like he's hiding something... wait... What?_

"What do you mean a bath?"

"Oh, I just assumed since you're so young, that you didn't know how to bathe properly."

_"That sounds so wrong."_

_"That's not what he meant, you shouldn't think like that."_

_"Didn't I tell both of you to shut up?"_

Now it was my turn to be a bit uneasy, "D-don't be stupid! I know how to wash myself the right way!" He made that low-spirited face once more, "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to make you offended. If you need me, I'll be in the kitchen…" After that, he left the room. I sighed with relief, _That was close. "He's going to find out sooner or later if you keep acting so suspicious.", _one of the voices scolded. _"Don't be stupid, he can hide from him if he's smart. Emphasis on if." "I hate both of you…"_

_Lucas POV_

"I hope he's not upset with me…", I said to myself. As I thought, I bit into the golden apple I'd just gotten from the fridge and grabbed a chair at the table. I'd been bothered by what had happened when we were coming into town; why did he yell to shut up at me when I wasn't even talking? _It doesn't make much sense. Maybe he was having a hallucination? Or maybe…_

_What if he was talking to someone else instead of me, could that be possible? Wait, that can't be right. We were alone when that happened, and there were no villagers outside because it was nighttime… Maybe someone was talking to him telepathically? Is that even possible? _I shook my head, huffing tiredly, "I'm probably looking too much into things…

_Barri POV_

I closed my eyes as I laid back in the warm tub. It felt nice to actually bathe without having an annoying brat mess with the plumbing by "accident" and having to take an ice cold shower. _I can't believe he actually adopted me, he must be crazy… He said that I reminded him of himself, but what did he mean by that? _I opened my eyes and slowly sat up to scrub my arms with the gentle loofa. _He did seem really truthful when he said that, but I'm just not sure what I should do about it. What can I even do?_ _"You could just ask if you're curious." "No you shouldn't, you'll just sound stupid."_ I really wasn't in the mood to be bothered by those two, "You know, you two aren't really helpful. Would it kill you to just get along? Why don't you ever get along?" I ask them this question all the time, but I always get the same answer: "That isn't any of your business." They say it in unison and always in the same serious tone. I don't get what could be so important that even the nice sounding voice gets so grim. Oh well, it's not like it really matters. I rolled my eyes at the two, "Whatever." I grabbed the washcloth on the side of the tub and started rubbing the soap off. I winced when I went over my stomach. I looked down and saw the faded, pink scar that stretched across my stomach. It's been almost three years, but it still hurts. Every time I look at it, I remember _that_ accident.

At least, I wished it was an accident.

_Twenty minutes later…_

Why didn't I just eat something when the idiot offered? My stomach was practically cursing at me as I laid on the bed, curled up in a ball to try muffling the angry rumbles.

_"Because you just can't swallow your pride and give him a chance." _

_"Ouch, that was harsh, coming from you."_

_"WILL THE TWO OF YOU LET ME HAVE SOME FUCKING PEACE AND QUIET, FOR ONCE IN MY GOD DAMN LIFE?"_

Silence… better. I quietly got out of the bed and slipped out of the room. _I'll see if I can sneak some food…_ I silently walked down the hall, making sure the floor didn't creak, I can be an excellent spy when I'm in the mood. _Finally, I made it to the kitchen… wait… the lights are on… _

"What are you doing up so late, Barri?"

_Oh, fuck._ Lucas was sitting at the table, eating some fruit. "O-oh, I was just feeling kind of hungry and wanted to get a snack…" Cue the grand complaining, courtesy of my belly. I quickly put my hands over my abdominal region as I felt a pink tinge spread on my face. He smiled, "That's okay, I was just a bit worried. If you want, I could make you something." "No, I just wanted to get something small...", I told him as I opened the fridge, the embarrassment dying down gradually. "Oh, I got a lot of fruit from town the other day, so there should be some there." I pulled out the small bowl of berries and sat across from Lucas.

"How are you?", the blonde asked. I took a bit of the small, red fruit, "Okay." _The next thing I know, it's going to be like therapy..._ "If you want, tomorrow we can go to town and get you some food you might like.", he offered. "Sure." _"Can't you try saying a bit more?" "Can't you at least be happy that I'm trying in the first place?" "Oh please, you can't do anything right!" "You're not helping…" "Neither of you are!"_ I ignored the voices and turned my attention back to Lucas, who was now giving me an uncertain look. "Lucas?" When he heard my voice, his face returned with his usual bright grin, "Yes, did you want something?" I shook my head, "Oh never mind, I'm feeling a bit sleepy, I'm going back to bed." I hopped off the seat and walked back down the hallway.

_What was all that about?_

_Lucas POV_

As soon as Barri left the room, I sighed sharply from exhaustion. I haven't used my powers in quite a while, so it becomes tiring. It surprised me what I heard. He wasn't thinking to himself… _There were three different voices speaking, and they weren't telepathic… It was like they were inside him… or maybe they were him…_ I looked at the bowl of strawberries, frowning and unable to understand the answers to my questions.

_Barri… Just who are you?_


	3. Chapter Two

Chapter Two: Idiots and Cowards, They're All the Same

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Hm. Now it's three thirty in the morning and I'm doing one more. Le sigh… fuck insomnia.

**DISCLAIMER: Wait, I don't own Mother 3? D'oh, I missed! (Overuse reference is overused. Still using it though.)**

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_Barri POV_

Like always, I couldn't sleep. Well, I could, but I didn't want to. I've always heard from others how beautiful watching the sunrise is, but I'm sick and tired of it. I see it so often since I only ever sleep about once a week, and I'm always completely worn out. The worst part is that I'm always ready to just drop on the floor unconscious which doesn't sound like a bad idea at all, but I just can't do it. I'd have to deal with the nightmare. That damn nightmare. I even wet the bed still just because of it, how stupid is that? I don't want to have to explain to Lucas why I'm shaking and covered in my own piss. I don't even think I'd be able to say a word because I'd be so scared. I'm such an idiot.

I reluctantly got out of the covers, then jumped out of the bed. I moved to the floor and opened one of my suitcases, I was too exhausted last night to put anything away in the dressers, so I left them as they were. I quickly dressed then brushed my teeth, I never bothered to brush my hair since it was bound to get messy at some point. I closely examined my face in the mirror, seeing clearly had dark, panda like circles around my eyes, showing just how lovely I'd slept. _Great, just what I need… Lucas will definitely make a huge deal about it. _After taking care of my bodily hygiene, I left my room and walked down the hall. Halfway to the kitchen, I heard Lucas's voice mumbling from his room. He sounded drowsy and distant, so I guessed he was still sleeping. What was a bit off putting was that he sounded desperate and in pain. From his closed door, I could only hear bits in pieces of what he was saying, "Claus… stop fighting… You don't… Listen to mom… Listen, Claus…" I wasn't intentionally eavesdropping since I don't stick my nose into every little thing about people, but I couldn't help but be curious about his sleep talk. _Claus? Must be a friend or someone related to him. But he sounds like he's practically dying or something, is he having a bad dream too? Sounds pretty ironic…_

I continued dwelling on the subject as I made my way to the kitchen to make myself breakfast. For my age, I'm a pretty good cook, though I mostly taught myself through experimenting and cookbooks. I dug in the fridge for eggs and bacon, just decided I wanted a simple omelet. I set my ingredients on the counter and then started searching for a pan. I checked all of the bottom cabinets, but found only cleaning materials and dog food. I looked up at the cabinets above me, mentally groaning at the idea of where the pots and pans were. _What idiot puts pots there?_ I grabbed a chair and hopped onto the counter. I stood up, then I opened the cabinet in front of me. _Did he really have to put it on the bottom of everything?_

_Lucas POV_

I had just finished brushing my teeth and was about to comb my hair. _I wonder if Barri is already awake. I should make him some breakfast, but I can barely cook and I don't know what he likes… _Outside my room, I heard a loud crashing noise. I immediately dropped the comb in my hand and ran to Barri's room, but he wasn't inside. _What was that? Is Barri hurt? _I ran to the kitchen, I skidding to a halt, and making sure not to run into the wall. I looked at the floor and saw a pile of pots and pans everywhere, and if I was right, I think I saw a leg sticking out of it. Suddenly, the picture of a landslide flashed in my mind.

_Barri POV_

_Damn, that hurts._ I was now under a ton of metallic kitchen ware, I felt too sore to move and I think I might have had some bruises. Wonderful. _"You should have asked Lucas for help." "Shut up, I don't need your shit right now."_ I've been told I can be a bit irritable when injured, but then again, I'm always irritable. I had my eyes closed, but I could feel as if the pots were being lifted off of me, and at a surprising pace too. I opened my eyes and saw Lucas, he was the one getting everything off of me. "L-Lucas?" I coughed painfully, it was hard just moving my cheeks with all the stinging, I couldn't help but imagine what would happen if I tried to walk. As soon as he heard me, he grabbed on to me and started… crying. _What the hell? What's wrong with him?_ "I-I'm sorry, you're h-hurt and it's my f-fault! I'm so sorry!", he said, nearly crushing my bones.

It was a bit scary to see him freaked out like this, it was as if he thought I was dead. Normally, I'd yell if anyone tried to even poke me, but I couldn't get that worked up at anyone if they're _that _freaked out. I tried to gently push him away, mostly due to how uncomfortable the contact made me, especially with the bruises. I tried speaking calmly, attempting to at least get him to stop blubbering, "I-it's okay, I'm fine. You don't need to worry, it's just a scratch." He pulled away a little to look at me and started panicking even more, "O-oh, your cheek it bleeding!" He picked me up and sat me on the counter. "B-Band-Aids, Band-Aids, where did I put them?", he murmured franticly as he checked the drawers.

_"Well, someone's a little spaz today.",_ one of the voices laughed. _"Stop being rude, he's just worried about Barri."_ I was feeling much too indifferent (and honestly didn't give a fuck) at the moment to argue with them right now, so I just watched dully as Lucas was looking for a Band-Aid. "Found it!", he sighed. He opened the package and pulled one out. He removed the wrappers and put the white strip on the side of my face softly. "Are you all right? You really scared me.", he asked while calming down. I nodded passively, "Yeah, but you don't need to freak out. I'm just fine." I slumped to the floor, but I immediately fell the second I touched the ground, "Ouch, I'm still a bit sore I guess." Now the blonde was back in hyper mode, "Oh, th-this is all my fault!" He picked me up again and set me at the table.

I sighed, I really didn't like people fussing over me, I'm a bit of an independent person (or so others say) and I just find it to be a bother, "You don't need to blame yourself, I was just really sleepy. I wasn't paying attention to what I was doing and I grabbed the pan on the bottom." I hoped my little lie would convince him, but I guess dealing with him is different than dealing with others. "Even if you did, there's still no excuse that I wasn't there.", he told me as he started picking the pots up.

I set my head down on the table, I guess there's no reasoning with him since he seemed so insistent on taking the blame, but I still wasn't too pleased with it_. "At least he cares, no one but Jake ever did that for you." "I suppose you're right, but he doesn't need to beat himself up over it. What's done is done.",_ I told the voice. _"Exactly, he's just another blubbering idiot."_ I shook my head, _"Nah, he's just overprotective… in an annoying way."_

I looked up and Lucas had just finished putting up everything except for one pan. "What were you trying to make? Eggs and bacon?", he asked. "Oh, just some omelets or something, nothing fancy.", I replied blandly. He smiled, "That's funny, omelets are actually my favorite type of food." I raised an eyebrow, "Really?" "Yes, my mom would always make them for me and my brother." _Weird, he seems more like the sweet tooth type. "You shouldn't judge a book by its cover." "Y'know, it would be just WONDERFUL if you two would just shut up for the rest of the day."_ I would have listed to the bickering of the voices, but then I just picked up on something important Lucas had said.

"You have a brother? Where is he?" Lucas frowned when I asked him what seemed like just a little question. I could tell by his quaint tone that it wasn't something he liked to talk about, "Yes… I had a twin brother named Claus, but he died six years ago in an accident." _Claus? It must be the person he was talking about in his dream…_ "Oh…" If I didn't before, I felt like a total jerk, but now I was a jerk that just brought up the subject of someone's dead twin brother.

I put my head back down with a heavy puff of breath. I wanted to get off the undesirable subject, "So are we still going to town today?" Lucas put the pan down and turned the stove on, "Of course, I said that we would and I never break my promises." "Oh, okay, I was just making sure…"

_Lucas POV_

I started cracking the eggs and pouring the contents in the pan, then set the shells to the side. I looked back at him and frowned. He looked deep in thought and he had dark circles around his eyes, his face started looking paler too. _Did he sleep last night? I should have checked on him before I went to bed…_ I turned back to cooking, still thinking. _At least he's starting to open up more, he's talking a bit more and not glaring at me all the time, like yesterday… He still concerns me though…_

Once I finished cooking the omelets, I cut them in half and put them on two plates. I set the plates on the table and sat down. I looked at Barri again, he had his eyes closed, but I knew he was awake. I shook his shoulder slightly, "Hey Barri, breakfast is ready…" He lifted his head and looked at me, "Thanks…" He pulled the plate towards himself and ate slowly. _I think he still might be in pain. I would use my healing abilities, but I don't want to freak him out… _

_Lucas POV_

As I was eating my breakfast, I looked up and saw Lucas watching me with a deep expression. _What's he thinking about?_ "Lucas." He snapped out of his bewildered daze, "Hmm?" "You're food is going to get cold if you don't eat it.", I told him, pointing at his plate. "Oh, right." The two of us ate our food in silence.

Once we both finished, Lucas got out of his seat and returned to his room to finish dressing. _I've barely known him for a day, but he worries about me, why is that? "Why don't you ask? If you're so intent on wanting to know, do the mature thing and ask." _I groaned, _"That's just a weird thing to ask. I doubt I'd get a straight answer and-" "And what? You're just being a spineless coward. It's the truth, you know."_ The word "coward" is what got to me. I knew all that voice was doing was trying to provoke me, but I wouldn't stand for being called something so degrading. "Take that back, you bastard.", I growled dangerously under my breath. _"Stop being such a jerk, you should never say that to anyone!"_

"Oh, come on, you know it's true. You're nothing but a bratty child, no wonder your mother hated you."

The voice had gone too far with that one. Way beyond the limit. My hands curled into fists and my knuckles became paler than my skin. I could feel my eyes burning as if I were about to cry, but I would never do something that pathetic in front of a jackass like that voice. "Shut up," my voice was raising, but could honestly care less, "You don't know anything, just shut the hell up." _"Don't listen to him, you know he's just trying to get to you!"_ I knew that voice was right, but it's not like I could ignore what was being said. My stupid pride is something I can stand to let go of. "Your own mother didn't want you for a son, you know she only saw you as a nuisance, so why do you sound so defensive and surprised? Oh, is it because you feel guilty for m-" I bashed my fist down on the table, nearly breaking the wood as I felt the shaking in my hand get worse from the added pain. I pushed out my words through gritted teeth, "Shut up. That isn't any of your business, so stop prying, you bastard. You don't know anything."

"Barri, are you ready to go?" I nearly jumped out of my seat at the sound of Lucas's voice from the hallway. I took a deep breath, calming my mind a bit. "Yeah, I've been ready, you're taking forever!", my voice was a bit wobbly, but it wasn't all that noticeable. I hoped he hadn't heard what I said, or else he might have me sent to a therapist.

_Lucas POV_

I returned to my room to grab my jacket before going back to the kitchen to see Barri. He looked fine when I entered the room, but what I overheard… What was all that about? Did his mother abandon him like that voice said? It isn't as if I like eavesdropping on him, but I'm worried something might happen if I don't do anything. At the same time, I can't just go talk to him about it, I don't know what he would do then… All I can really do is watch from a distance and just hope I can find a way to help him…


	4. Chapter Three

Chapter Three: You Aren't Like Me, but We're the Same

* * *

Just got finished cleaning stuff and other such things, so I thought I'd do another chap-chappy while I've got the time.

**DISCLAIMER: Me owning Mother 3? That's just crazy. Also, dfjdsfljadljfoejfoendvhniral.**

* * *

_Barri POV_

"Lucas?"

"Hmm?"

"Could you tell me why I'm riding on your back?"

Lucas walked along the dirt road to town, holding me up on his back from behind. "Well, you could barely walk, so this just makes it easier." I sighed and laid my head down on his shoulder, "Okay, so what are you going to get in town?" "Um, maybe some milk and some other things if you want…" "I don't like milk by itself, it taste weird.", I said with a faint tone of disgust. "That's okay, I don't really drink milk unless I use it for coffee." "That's nice…" I wasn't really paying attention to what the blonde was saying, I just looked down at the bloomed daisies beside the trail, spacing out with a fuzzy mind. Thankfully, the weather wasn't too brutal for the sky being so cloudless and the sun burning brightly. I've never been the type to enjoy summer, considering I'm much more used to colder climates. Since it's the end of August, autumn will be here soon enough and I won't have to deal with sunburns and crazy heat.

I think being outside was helping my mind become less tangled and clouded, I just began having a (somewhat) random stream of thoughts. _The omelets Lucas made were pretty good, I wonder if he's good at cooking other stuff. I think he might be, he doesn't seem too bad. He acts like a nice person too, but I'm not sure… "Why don't you try learning more about him? You're going to be living with him, so you might as well."_, suggested one of the voices. For once, I actually agreed with one of them, _"I guess. It'd might give me some clues to guess what kind of person he is, and that'd definitely be helpful…" _Asking questions seemed to be the way to go, but I wasn't too sure what to ask. I went back to anything I might have thought of yesterday, though the only thing I kept going back to was something that Lucas had said that had bothered me. He said something about me reminding him of himself, which sounded a bit ridiculous. _We act completely different, so how does that make sense? I still think it's an odd thing to ask, but I'll give it a shot…_ "Lucas?", I asked cautiously. "Hm?" "Remember how you said that I remind you of yourself?" "Yes, why do you ask?", he inquired. "Well, what did you mean?"

Lucas sounded a bit unsure with his explanation, but he seemed to be saying what he thought, "It's a little difficult to explain, but I'll try. You seemed like a loner when I first saw you. You were the only one by yourself in the orphanage backyard while all the other kids were with each other. When I was younger, I was like that a lot. I was alone most of the time since my dad was never home, and the villagers didn't know how to deal with me because of some things that had happened to my family when I was younger." _Really? He doesn't strike me as a loner, but what about his family?_

"What happened to your family?", I asked quietly. He sounded like he didn't want to answer since he sound so hesitant, but he told me anyway, "My mom died when I was younger… she was attacked by… an angry Drago that went on a rampage. My mom tried protecting me and my brother, and it killed her. After that, my brother went missing in the mountains looking for the Drago that killed her to avenge mom's death. When dad found out, he went looking for Claus, but… Claus was gone. Dad was convinced that he wasn't, so he kept looking for him. He looked for almost four years, but he never gave up. He died looking for my brother; he got crushed from a landslide..."

"Oh..." After hearing someone like Lucas telling me something so morbid, I felt horrible for him and myself. For someone who normally seems so happy-go-lucky, I would have never expected for him to have such a horrible past. I guess it's a bit ironic we both have bad history with death in some twisted way. The rest of the trip to town was silent, I don't think I want to ask anymore questions for a while. When we finally got into the village, we entered a larger building with a bright sign that read "Tomas's Bazaar". The inside was pretty normal, just had food, clothes, and all that kind of stuff. A man in a red shirt and white hard hat behind the counter started talking, "Hey there Lucas, haven't seen you for a while. Who's that kid you're carrying?" "Oh, this is Barri, I adopted him yesterday. I just came to get some milk. Do you want anything Barri?" I shook my head, "No."

The man pointed to a shelf to the left, "Milk's over there, hope you two have a good day." Lucas grabbed a gallon and smiled, "Thanks, you too." After that, we decided to go back home since Lucas said he didn't have any other errands to do in the village. "Is there anything you want to do?", Lucas asked as we exited the town. I shook my head sleepily, "No." "Are you okay? Is something wrong?" "I'm just tired is all." "Did you sleep well last night?" I lied, I didn't want him going berserk over me again, "Yeah, just fine." "Alright, but if anything is ever bothering you, make sure to tell me." "Okay."

v(-_-)v

When we got back home, I went to my room while Lucas decided that he would make lunch. I nabbed one of the books I hadn't finished reading that I left on the bed, and I sat down to at least get to the halfway point. The plot had to do with an assassin who doesn't age who took revenge on the married couple who'd killed his father, but the couple had a young son who the assassin didn't kill because he only vowed to murder criminals. He ended up taking the child with him to raise him on his own. I mostly read murder-mystery novels since they make you think quite a bit, but this one piqued my interest and I gave it a go. So far, it's fairly entertaining, but nothing particularly major has happened yet. I made it through a good quarter when my reading was interrupted by something knocking against the bedroom window. I slowly sat up; I wasn't as sore as I had been, but I didn't want to strain myself. I couldn't see what was wrong with the window since the curtain was covering it, but I think I saw a shadow moving behind it. I was about to get off the bed and check what was there but then I heard it the window opening. _What the hell?_

_Lucas POV_

I leaned my elbows on the counter with my chin rested on my hand, thinking of ideas for lunch. _What should I make for lunch_? _The only thing I could make besides omelets is probably a salad and sandwiches. Does Barri like ham or chicken? I should go ask him what he wants._ I stood up to go down the corridor to Barri's room, but as I approached, there was a shout coming from my desired destination. _That was Barri! What happened?! _As soon as I heard him, my pace quickened into a run_. Did he get hurt again? _Full of complete panic and distress, I nearly tore the door off its hinges trying to get in the room.

I stood in the doorway for several moments, just taking in the scene in front of me. Inside the room, Barri was standing on the bed in a shocked manner with his book over his head as if it were some type of weapon, and Kumatora was standing next to the open window looking as if she had walked into a surprise party that wasn't meant for her. I couldn't help bursting into a fit of giggles at such a ridiculous scene, especially after having thought something terrible had happened.

_Barri POV_

There is a pink haired robber in the house, and Lucas is laughing like an idiot. What the hell is wrong with him? "What's so funny?", the robber asked Lucas. "You both look so silly! I was worried something bad happened, but it was just you, Kumatora!", the blonde chuckled with a soft tone. _Wait, he knows her?_ "So is this the kid you adopted? He seems kind of weird." I shot an irate glance at the girl "Says the chick with pink hair." "Says the squirt with yellow eyes.", she retorted. Lucas's laughter died down quickly, then he explained why the girl was here, "Don't worry Barri, this is Kumatora, she's a friend of mine."

_He's actually friends with her? I guess weird people must have weird friends…_ "Barri, huh? That's a fitting name for such a little kid.", Kumatora said smirking. "I'm not little, dammit, I'm average height for a nine year old." "Someone has a little potty mouth, kids shouldn't swear you know." I ignored her last comment to ask an obvious question, "Whatever, why did you jump from the window instead of using the door like a normal person?" She shrugged, "The front door is boring." _Is she for real? _Lucas sighed, "Oh Kumatora, you can be so eccentric…" "What's that supposed to mean?", she demanded, placing a hand on her hip.

Lucas waved his hands defensively, "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to make you mad, I was just joking!" "I'm just messing with you Lucas.", Kumatora smirked joyfully. "Oh, yeah, I almost forgot. What kind of sandwiches do you want for lunch? I can make salad too if you want.", the blonde told me. I shrugged, jumping off the bed, "I don't know, turkey sandwich with salad sounds okay." He smiled, "That's a good idea. Do you mind going outside and play with Boney? I need to talk to Kumatora." I put my book down on the nightstand and nodded, "Sure, he's probably bored anyways." I walked past Lucas and down the hall to go outside. I didn't mind leaving the house, but I know something wasn't right. _He seems a little suspicious, I know he's hiding something from me..._

_Lucas POV_

"So what did you want to talk about?", Kumatora asked as she sat at the kitchen table. I began putting lettuce into a large bowl on the counter, talking to Kumatora as I prepared lunch, "It has to do with Barri." "What about him?" "There's something very… odd about him." "What do you mean by that?" I threw in some diced tomatoes to the salad along with shredded goat cheese, "When I asked a caretaker at the orphanage about him, they told me some strange things about him. They said there have been rumors about him being cursed because he's been known to shock and burn people just by touching them." "Cursed? That's the dumbest thing I've ever heard. Sounds to me like you've got a mini psychic on your hands." "That's what I thought. I made sure it wasn't just a hoax by shaking his hand and feeling if I could sense if he could shock or burn me. I used PSI to cancel the effects, but he was trying to create and electrical charge for sure. It wasn't too powerful, so I don't think his abilities were "awakened  
". I'm not sure if he's aware of that, so I haven't said anything so I don't scare him about it." "Well, that sounds pretty reasonable.", Kumatora said in response. I snatched a cut loaf of bread from the pantry before getting the other ingredients for the sandwiches, continuing to explain my thoughts to the princess, "There's that, but there's something else that I'm more concerned with. I don't like to admit this, but I've read his mind and listened to his thoughts." I wasn't surprised that my friend looked shocked by me doing something like that, she knew how much I detested doing things like that. "Last night, I read his mind, but there were two other presences inside of him that were speaking with him. I'm not even sure how that's possible. They talked to him this morning too, but this time one of the voices started calling him a coward and saying his mother abandoned him and thought he was a nuisance. Barri got really mad and sounded like he was about to kill someone." Kumatora shook her head, "That's crazy, are you sure that's what happened?" "I'm positive." _Even Kumatora is in disbelief, but I don't blame her. This is all so confusing; the more I learn about this, the more questions I seem to have…_

I jumped when cackling thunder boomed outside and rain dropped against the windows. "Oh right,", Kumatora frowned, "It was supposed to rain today." "Y-Yeah…" I'm fine with rain, it isn't that much of a bother, but I absolutely hate thunder. It's not the sound or the volume that gets to me, thunder brings back a lot of memories from my childhood I'd rather not think about. "Lucas, are you okay?", Kumatora knew about my dislike of the current weather. I nodded slowly, "Hmm." "Barri is still outside…"

_Barri POV_

Boney and I were sitting and watching at the clear, blue ocean. I sighed, "I wonder what they're talking about…" I heard lightning and I felt something wet start to fall on me. "Oh, it's raining…" I don't know why, but I like the rain. A lot of people think rain is gloomy and depressing, but it makes me feel relaxed. It sometimes makes me wish it would just wash way all the crap in my life and bring something good for once instead…

"Barri!"

I turned around and saw Lucas at the door. "Barri, you know it's raining?" "Yeah, know…", I replied turning back around. "Barri, you're going to get a cold!" I stood up and sighed, he really does get stressed out over nothing, it's just a light drizzle, "All right…" As I started walking back to the house, there was another flash of lightning. Lucas cringed noticeably with an obviously pained expression. I guess someone has a little phobia.

I walked in and shut the door behind me. Lucas definitely looked freaked out; his hands were shaking as he tried to put bread and sandwich ingredients together. The cheese slices kept slipping out of his fingers and on the cutting board underneath, and his face looked unnaturally pale. "Are you sure you're okay?", pinky asked, noticing Lucas wasn't feeling well. He nodded shakily, "Never better." I sighed at the blonde young man, _He acts like such a kid sometimes…_ I gave another small groan, finding my way to the counter, taking the items out of his hands to set them down on the cutting board. "What are you doing?", Lucas asked. "You can't make food, you'll just throw it everywhere. I'll finish making lunch." "I wo-"

**Boom.**

Lucas had somehow tripped over himself when he flinched at the sound. I looked down at him with crossed arms and an unimpressed expression, he picked himself up off the floor, mumbling quietly to us, "I think I'm going to go t-to my room for a while." He then slowly walked to his room before another crackling sound could be made. _I don't get how people are scared of thunder, it's just loud is all._

Pushed the subject out of my head and started putting the sandwiches together. Thankfully, sandwiches are easy to make, so it wouldn't take too long. "So, do you want mayo or not?", I asked the sitting girl. "Yeah, sure." "Aw, you're not such a brat after all. You're actually pretty sweet.", Kumatora snickered obnoxiously. "Shut up, I just don't want to hear you complain if you don't like it." I finished making one sandwich and was about to start on another, but then Kumatora started to speak, "Oi, Barri." I growled somewhat annoyed, "What do you want?" "Has any strange stuff ever happened to you?"

"Not as far as I know." _"Yeah right." _I ignored the voice, not feeling up to having pointless banter with what well could be a figment of my imagination. "Okay then." She was acting really suspicious, and I was determined to find out why, "Why're you asking?" "Um, no reason, but I want you to do me a favor."

I arched an eyebrow, feeling as though I should be highly cautious, "What kind of favor?" She rolled her eyes at me sarcastically, "Don't worry, it isn't anything horrible. I just want you to take care of Lucas. He's really important to me and a lot of other people, and we worry about him a lot. He's had some pretty harsh stuff going on in his life, so I want to know he'll be okay." I nodded, still trying to keep on my toes and not seem too out of place, "Yeah, I get it. He's nice guy, I guess, but he's reckless. He always gets carried away with the littlest things, so I understand why you'd be worried. Sure, I'll look after him for you." "You better, you don't want to know how mad I get when people don't keep their promises.", as she said that, she smiled sinisterly and spoke with a sickly, sweet voice that could scare the hell out of a demon. _Yeah, he definitely has crazy friends_. I decided to just not notice that this lady was a bit nuts and nodded, "Got it."

It didn't take me long to finish the sandwiches. I put them on the counter and went to get Lucas. I went down the hallway until I made my way to his door and knocked on it, "Hey, food's done!" No answer.

Opened the door with an impatient grunt, I'll usually be polite and wait, but I don't have very good patience. "Lucas?" The room was silent, but I knew he was in the room, seeing the large lump under the covers with a pillow poking out of the top. I saw him twitching slightly, and I think he was making a few small noises. _Is he really that scared of thunder that he's hiding? I guess so. At least the thunder is starting to die down…_ I silently walked over to his bedside and tugged at the covers in attempt to get him out. He had his pillow painfully pressed over his ears with his eyes screwed shut and his face contorted into a frightened expression. _He really doesn't like thunder, but I've never seen someone who hates it so much. _"Lucas", I rubbed his shoulder awkwardly, trying to be as gentle as I could with him, "C'mon, I finished making lunch. I think the thunder is dying down."

He reacted to me by opened his eyes and ceasing to rattle, "Oh, h-hi Barri, is lunch ready?" I frowned disapprovingly at the young man; as soon as he noticed I'd been with him, he immediately smiled like nothing had happened and he wasn't scared out of his wits. _He's trying to hide that he's afraid... what an idiot. I guess I should be try not to trouble him right now._ I nodded and took the pillow away, "Yeah, come on, the flies will get if you wait too long." He sat up on the mattress, hanging his head low, "I-I'm sorry Barri, I r-really don't like storms…" I turned away from him and walked to the door, but I still spoke softly to him, "You don't have to apologize, you didn't do anything wrong. Come on, let's go eat."

v(-_-)v

"Barri."

"What?"

"Whatcha reading?"

"A book."

"What kind of book?"

"A book that you read, now leave me alone Kumatora." Said person was poking my shoulder like an annoying child, "But I'm bored. Lucas is sleeping and I don't want to wake him up." "Then why don't you leave?" "Because Lucas wants me to watch you."

I shut the book and set it down on the table, "Fine. What do you want to do?" She shrugged, "I thought you had an idea." _Is she serious? She's like a damn toddler!_ I looked out the window, the thunder and lightning had stopped but it was still pouring out there. "Well, we could go run around in the rain." "Don't you care about getting wet?", Kumatora asked. "I don't really care. It's an idea, take it or leave it." "Then let's go!"

She grabbed my arm and dragged me outside, "Woo!" "I think you're insane…" She started poking me again, this time in the stomach, "Come on grumpy, have some fun!" "Okay, okay…" Out of nowhere, Boney tackled me to the ground. Kumatora laughed, "I guess Boney wants to play." The mutt licked my face and ran off before I could do anything about it. I jumped up and growled, "Come back here you damn dog! I swear I'm going to catch you!"

He laughed, "You'll never get me!" I started running after him with Kumatora following behind me. "Boney, if you're going to tease a runt, start with his height!" I changed my course of direction and started yelling, "Why don't you come over here and say that to my face?!"

_Lucas POV_

I told them I was going to take a nap, but I actually just wanted to be alone for a while. I laid down under the covers in bed staring at the ceiling, not really sure if I should try to sleep or not_. I hope Kumatora hasn't told him anything about what we talked about… _Thinking that made me feel a little guilty. I don't like keeping secrets from anyone, it doesn't matter who it is, I still see it as wrong. It just feels so dirty and terrible, but I was still doing it now.

I heard barking and yelling outside that broke my thoughts. I got up to push way the curtains and look out the window. Outside, I could see Boney, Barri, and Kumatora running in the rain. They looked like they were having fun, but I worried a little. I was thinking that they could easily get sick, but then I smiled blissfully, knowing it was fine. _They'll be alright…_

_Barri POV_

"Kumatora, I swear to god I'm going to kill you!", I yelled, sprinting after her. "Sorry, I can't hear you over your shortness!" Even with all my energy, I still had to stop for a moment to catch my breath. I shook my fist at my teasers as I wheezed tiredly, "Okay, you two are so going to get it!" I started to go after the two, but a pair of arms caught me from behind. "Gotcha!" I turned around to see a grinning blonde looking down at me. "When did you get here?", I asked. "Just now, but you might want to run away.", he warned. I tilted my head in confusion, "Why?"

"Because I'm the tickle monster!", suddenly, he tackled me and attacked my stomach. "C-cut it out! Stop, L-Lucas!" "Never!" "K-Kumatora, help me g-god dammit!" She shrugged, "Eh, I think I'm going home, later!" Then she ran off down the hill. "I h-hate you!", I screamed while still laughing. I could be mistaken, but I think I heard a faint, "I know!"

"C-come on Lucas, l-let me g-go!" "Nope!" I made a move to grab his hands and I pushed him over so I could get on top of him. I laid my head down on his chest and I was breathing heavily, "Heh, what was that you said about not stopping?" he laughed, "Okay, you win." "And the tickle monster? Really? I'm not five, you know.", I huffed jokingly. "So what? It made you laugh, didn't it?" "I guess…" _I haven't laughed in a really long time. It's been such a long time, the last time I remember laughing so much was before Jake…_ I stopped thinking, turning over to Lucas, "I think you were right."

He looked puzzled by what I said, "Right about what?" "You said I was like you, I think I kind of get what you meant." I rolled off Lucas, plopping over on the grass and letting the rain spill over me. "Huh?", he sat up from the soaked ground, "What do you mean?" I spoke quietly, feeling a bit distant, "At the orphanage, I had a friend. He was like an older brother to me, even though I was always the one to get the bullies to leave him alone since he was really frail and an easy target. We took care of each other because we were all we had, so it was just the two of us. He started to get sick last year in the winter, and he died this spring." Lucas seemed shocked to hear me revealing such a thing to him, I was even a bit surprised by myself. I'm not the type of person who likes talking about the personal things in my life, hell, I even hate it. I'm not even sure why I told him about Jake of all things, but for some reason, I didn't feel bad talking about him for once.

"Is that so? I see…", he mumbled, mostly to himself, before stretching his hand out to me, "C'mon. Let's go back inside, we'll catch colds if we stay out here any longer."

_Lucas POV_

We both dried ourselves off with the towels I'd just washed when I did laundry the other day. Thankfully, we seemed to be fine and didn't show any signs of getting sick. Thinking of illness, I was still a bit confused about what Barri had said. _I knew about his friend dying, but why would he tell me himself? I doubt he'd want to talk about that with anyone, especially knowing that his friend was like family to him… I guess he's must be comfortable talking to me, I'm glad…_

I didn't realize we'd been outside for so long, it was nearly evening by the time we cleaned ourselves up. I thought it'd be a good idea to make some pasta for dinner, but then I remembered I don't know how to cook when the floor and walls got covered with noodles and starchy water. Barri got fed up with me, snarling like a dog at me to clean the kitchen while he cooked the spaghetti instead. Not wanting to make him angrier, I did what he wanted. I wasn't too sure about letting him cook, but his spaghetti was great! If I didn't know any better, I would have thought Barri was a professional chef. I was astonished to learn he'd learned how to cook all on his own, especially since he's so young and he's better than most people I know. Barri's a small kid, but he's just full of surprises.

_Barri's POV_

After dinner I went back to my room so I could go read my book. I _wanted_ to at least get halfway through, but it wasn't like it was the end of the world or anything. I got in a good half hour or so of reading, the assassin took the son and fled to a small village in another country. The assassin was able to convince the son that he was sent by the son's parents to protect the boy from the person who killed them, trying to keep the truth from him. I was ready to go on to a new chapter in the novel, but the knocking on the door interrupted me. "Barri, can I come in?" I soundlessly sighed, reluctantly leaving the book on the nightstand, "Yeah." He opened the door and sat on the bed next to me, "Are you alright? You're not sick from the rain, are you?" I shook my head, "No, I've been just fine." "It's late, you should be going to bed. You've been looking pretty tired too.", he said. _Great, he noticed. _"Don't worry about me, I'm fine." "Are you sure?", he asked, "Have you had trouble falling asleep? You were up pretty late last night too." _"Well, isn't this a wonderful corner you've backed yourself into." "Oh, don't even start." _"It's nothing like that I just… I'm more of a night person and I've been waking up earlier than I usually do lately. It's nothing to worry about." _"Wow, that's the worst lie I've ever heard." "I already told you to shut up, leave me alone." _Unfortunately, Lucas wasn't that convinced either, "Something's bothering you, isn't it?" "So what if something's bothering me?", I grumbled without thinking, "You don't have to baby me, I can take care of myself."

The young man didn't seem to hurt about my harsh words, he just seemed to brush them off. "Wait…", he said, pondering into other ideas, "Have you been having bad dreams lately?" I wasn't expecting him to actually guess correctly, I didn't want him to. I knew I'd already dug myself into a hole six feet under, I just shut my mouth so I didn't get myself into further shit. "So that's what it is? You're having nightmares?" I huffed unhappily, glaring at him, "So what? It's not that important and you don't have to worry about it. Just stop bothering me about it." "If it's affecting you like this, I'm going to be worried about you," Lucas sighed, "If you keep things like this to yourself, they'll just get worse. I'm not trying to force you to tell me about these things, but you should at least talk about it with someone."

_"He's right you know, you should talk to him." "You butt out too, this isn't your business." _"I don't want to talk about it at all, it doesn't matter who I talk with. It isn't something to tell anyone. Besides, if I don't sleep, I won't have nightmares, so I'll be just fine." "But-" I quickly shoved my hands over my ears and shut my eyes tightly with a snarl, "I don't care, just go away and leave me alone! I'm fine and I don't need you to worry about me!" _Why can't this idiot get it through his thick skull that I just want to be left alone?_

I felt something moving on the mattress, then heard a clicking beside me that sounded like the lamp being turned off. My eyes flashed open to the dark room as something pulled me under the blankets and wrapped its warm arms around me. I tried breaking free of the strong grip, but there was no sign of weakening it. "Lucas," I groaned, "What are you doing?! Just let me go!" "My mom used to do this when I was younger. I used to have some pretty bad dreams, so she'd stay in bed with me until I'd fall asleep. I'd have better dreams when she did that and it always worked, so I guess it wouldn't hurt to the same thing with you." "That's ridiculous! Let go of me and get out of here!" "Not until you fall asleep." I knew he wasn't going to listen to what I would say, for what he was, I knew he was a stubborn bastard. I wasn't getting out of this mess no matter how much I complained, so I just had to go along with it. I stopped pushing against the current bane of my existence, grumbling under my breath, "Fine, do what you want. Just get out before I wake up or I'll kick you out myself." "Hm, just try to get some sleep. Good night, Barry."

I felt his long, thin fingers find their way to my head, gently rubbing my scalp. The feeling was oddly comforting and unusually welcoming, so I didn't protest against it. I relaxed myself and my limbs that had been tense before, it wouldn't help to be so worked up over nothing. I wasn't happy about being forced to sleep, but I didn't have a choice, so why bother continuing to be so anxious about it? I could feel myself becoming drowsier and drowsier the longer I felt the young man's warmth beside me, it seemed to calm me as my adjusted to the dark room that did not differ much to the inside of my closed eyelids. My brain was all fuzzy with sleepy thoughts, they never made sense and just seemed like faint whispers to me. The room's air was so dead that I could hear the rhythmic beating of Lucas's heart in my left ear, it played tenderly like a gingerly song or a child's lullaby that a mother would sing. It was nice to listen to, like the serenade of peaceful humming birds. I'd drifted away from my consciousness back and forth for what felt like so long; back and forth, back and forth, but I could sense I was finally coming to rest. Slipping away with the warming embrace of sleep and a calmly beating heart… It was pleasant feeling…


	5. Chapter Four

Chapter Four: On the Stage, Stolen Strings

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Yaaaaaaaaaay, I'm still tired as fuck! I hate summer, yaaaaaaaaay! I think I've gone a bit insane in the membrane. This is the result of being up at five in the morning and listening to some dude playing Corpse Party. Dark as hell themes and gumdrops and lollipops. Yaaaaaaaaay.

**DISCLAIMER: I'm not allowed to own Mother 3 because I don't like Morgan Freeman's voice. How does this make sense? Because science.**

* * *

_Barri POV_

_The snow was white, falling down to the Earth like tiny clouds from the sky. The forest was light, as was the day, and all was silent in my ears. How peaceful. What a joke. Why is peace so treasured? It's such a boring, dull thing, there's no real joy in it. Why bother with it? I found nothing in such a meaningless thing. Why was I here again in this cursed place? Oh right, I remember now. The shadow was following me, and it wouldn't go away. It was such a bother, running away from it, it would be better for it to just disappear. It wouldn't though. It wouldn't, not unless I made it go away myself. What a bother._

_ I felt the knife in my hand, the handle cool to the touch. I don't remember having it before, it just appeared there. The edge of the blade was chipped in some places, though it wouldn't be noticeable unless you looked closely. It must have been old since it lacked much of a shine, but it didn't seem to be rusted anywhere. I don't like holding knives like this in my hand, they don't settle well with me, but I was actually relieved to have it now. Whatever, it doesn't really matter._

_ I heard the wind behind my back break through the still air, though this wind was not natural and sounded more like a call. The snow I saw falling now was no longer pure, instead painted to an ominous, consuming black. There was no light left in this dull forest, it was all just some deathly dark abyss, taking in everything to itself and leaving nothing untouched. I knew. I knew it found me._

_ I turned around to the howling wail, finding the shadow looming over me. It took the form of a woman, tall and slender, with lengthy hair of the deepest ebony and a face void and nonexistent. Her fingers were like the sharp talons of crow, pointed to the tip and thirsting to rip into something and tear it apart. Her voice was like a shrill moan, though it sounded choked and parched as well, forming some twisted, haunting like cry. "Die… Die already… Worthless life… Die already…" _

_ She wanted me to die? It's not much of a surprise. I imagine she'd love to murder me, I can picture it perfectly. She would raise her arm high over her head, then bring it down to let her daggers take in my flesh. They would eat way at me in a bloody, violent mess until my organs were mushed and blended together, and even my bones would be nothing but ash. She would love every second of it, I just know she would, and it terrified me. It terrified me, but it's not like I could show it. I wasn't really me right now; I was just someone else's puppet, the strings were far from my hands._

_ The things I was thinking now weren't really thoughts that belonged to me, not anything close to that. All I wanted to do was run. Run far away, never looking back or needing to see her again. I wanted to, but my will was overpowered by the power of my unknown puppeteer. Nothing was in my control; my movements, my words, my thoughts… they were just being warped and turned into something horrible. Something evil._

_ The shadow was raising her arm high over her head, reading to bring it down. She wanted to kill me, she really did, but that isn't what the puppeteer wanted. Not at all. My hand was guided into her gut with a swift movement and perfect strike. She fell with a shriek that rang in my ears, red spewing in uneven spurts, splashing over the blackened snow, the dark trees, and me. I hated her. I hated her with every fiber of my being. I've always wanted to cause her pain and suffering, just as she had to me. That's what I've always wanted, but I never wanted to kill her. I would never have the desire to murder someone, the mere thought of wanting such a thing frightens me. I didn't have what it took to be a murderer, it wasn't something I could ever become, but that meant nothing to the one pulling the strings._

_I dropped down on my knees before her, handling the knife with both hands. Raising both arms high over my head, I brought down the dagger into her chest. I didn't stop. Blood splattered on my face, but I didn't stop. No… this was wrong, I… I didn't want to kill. That isn't what I wanted, that isn't what I wanted… It wasn't me, it was the puppeteer… They had control, they were the one making me do it. I felt the things they were feeling, their emotions vividly flowed through me. They were enjoying this. They enjoyed making me do the killing, it was just a treat for them. They were twisted, watching me stab her over and over again… It was just delightful, and they loved every second of it. I longed to break free from the strings that trapped my and bent me to its will, but the invisible threads only tightened even more around my wrists and ankles. This was all wrong…it was all so wrong, vile and disgusting, I only wanted it all to end. It was wrong, all of it, but…_

_ ... I think I was starting to enjoy it as well._

_ The puppeteer's emotions had swallowed my own, and my thoughts were void of my very soul, now consumed by the one pulling the strings. Haha, who's Barri? Huahaha… There is no Barri, no pathetic child here. I'm not me, I never was. It never was me, that's just silly. Silly, so very silly, haha… It's so fun cutting the shadow with this old knife, the squishing of her organs is like music to my ears, and ripping through her skin tissue is like cutting a thousand pieces of paper with a nice, brand new pair of scissors; it was oh-so refreshing! My laughter bubbled in my throat, released into a dry, broken cackle. Her insides were mutilated in the loveliest of ways, I could barely tell her intestines apart from her lungs or her kidneys, it really was a wonderful sight! She thought she was going to kill me, haha hahahaha, she-she thought she really could! Hahahaha, hahahahahaha! What a joke, a complete and utter joke, bwahahaha! She's nothing but a bleeding pile of flesh now, she can't do a thing to me! She called me worthless, she called me a mistake! Yeah? Well, look now, you stupid bitch! Who's worthless now?! Certainly not the one still alive and breathing! Hahaha… that's right, I'm not the mistake. Not at all, not at all! Hahaha haha hahahahahaha… BWAHAHAHAHA! Heh heh… That's right, I'm no mistake, I could never be something as pathetic as that. Stabbing her several more times well after she'd stopped breathing made me realize it wasn't quite as satisfying too keep going if she wasn't screaming with a bloodcurdling wail, there wasn't a lot of excitement in beating something that was dead if it just sat there doing nothing. Oh well. It was fun while it lasted, but I can't help but feel that there's something missing, something… What was it again? Oh, that's it, hahaha… I threw the knife away into the ashy snow, leaving the bloodied blade behind. There was something, something I'd been regretting for quite some time. It's a bit shameful, really, but it was something that had bothered me for a long time. Leaving the scene of the crime I was glad to commit, I remembered what it was that left me with some lamentation…_

_ The only thing I regret is not killing her sooner, haha, it really is a shame._

_Lucas POV_

The next morning, I woke up feeling calm and relaxed for once. I didn't have any nightmares (as far as I know), at least I had some peace in sleeping for once. I turned over on the lukewarm covers, checking in on how Barri was doing. Surprisingly, he wasn't in the bed. As a matter of fact, he wasn't in the bedroom at all. _What happened? Did he wake up early? _I dragged myself out of bed, groggily walking out of the room and pushing myself down the hall. I was planning on going to the kitchen, but I was distracted by the sound of something coming from the bathroom. It was like some… violent retching, it was just horrible. Cautiously, I opened the door to find Barri a complete mess, hunched over the toilet bowl and vomiting his heart out. "B-Barri, what happened?" I quickly rushed to his side, even in my drowsy state, tenderly rubbing circles in his back as he emptied his stomach. He lifted his head for a brief moment, his face was a sickly green and painfully pale, he definitely wasn't alright. "I… I got really sick," he choked, tears forming in his eyes, "It h-hurts…" "It's okay, just let it out." He kept on vomiting for a while longer, I stayed with him until he'd finished. I gave him the towel I took from the rack above us, helping him wipe the remnants off his face, "Here, use this. I'll go get you some water, I'll be right back."

Making a speedy trip to the kitchen to fill up a glass at the sink, I returned like I'd promised. Barri had slouched over on the wall, still looking to be a morbid verdant. I kneeled beside the boy, handing the filled cup to him, "Here, drink this, you'll feel better." He gulped down the whole thing in just a few seconds, using the refreshing water to help heal his burning throat. It did seem to actually help, the green in his face wasn't as visible as before. _Poor thing, he looks terrible… _"Are you feeling any better?" He nodded weakly, "Y… Yeah, I think so… Thanks." "Did you have nightmares last night?", I curiously inquired. He didn't answer, avoiding my gaze neurotically. _He still did… but is that why he's in pain? What nightmare could make him like this? _"Are you… sure you don't want to talk about it? It might help to-" Barri put his tiny arms around my torso, shoving his face into my nightshirt with a desperate grip. "Lucas, please," he whispered, his voice soaked with a tormented sort of agony, "Just shut up. I _can't _talk about it. Like I said, it isn't something you tell people about. It's just not, so just drop it, alright?"

_He sounds so strange, this really is hurting him… I'm worried, but it's not like I can force him to tell me everything._ He let go of me, standing up to hobble away, but he just fell down on his knees, clutching his stomach. "Hey, wait," I helped the dark haired boy get back on his feet, using myself as his support, "You're still not feeling well, you need to take it easy." "I'm just fine, I'm just tired is all." His skin was still abnormally pale and pasty, he was also sweating lightly with a dazed look about him; he wasn't "just fine". I pressed the back of my hand to his clammy forehead, immediately pulling back in surprise, "Barri, you're burning up! You must have a high fever…" He shook his head wearily, "You're just exaggerating, I'm… I'm only…" His eyes dulled from their bright hue as he dizzily wobbled, almost falling over again, but I caught him before he could drop to the floor. He had fainted, but he regained consciousness a few moments after passing out, this was definitely something more than just the nightmares. "See? You need to rest. I'm taking you back to your room to lay down." He gave a few disapproving groans when I scooped him up in my arms, but he didn't do anything to stop me (though I really doubt he could). I carried him all the way to his bedroom, putting some light sheets over him instead of the heavy, wool blanket. "Wait here, I'll go get you some medicine." He didn't say anything, only giving a bland grunt in response. _I guess he isn't too happy with me, he must think of me as a bother…_

_Barri POV_

_What an idiot, he worries over the dumbest things. "So in other words, you admit your stupidity?" "Piss off." _I knew Lucas would keep putting his nose where it didn't belong, no matter what I told him, especially if I kept on going the way I was. _I don't want to worry him; he freaks out about every little thing, so I don't want to cause him any trouble. I'd think of some way to make him stop worrying, but nothing I can think of will work… _I've never been good at dealing with other people, they're just too complicated to me. Sure, I could probably figure out other problems easier than most, but when other people get involved, I just give up.

I attempted to sit up and lay against the headboard, but my damn jelly arms weren't up to the job. Surprisingly, the bruises from yesterday weren't a problem at all, considering most of my aches were internal. Thankfully, my stomach wasn't churning like mad anymore, but my sinuses were going nuts and my head felt all stuffy and clouded. _God, this sucks. I rarely get this sick, I rarely get sick at all. I guess it wasn't such a good idea to be out in the rain for so long… _"Barri?", I jumped slightly when I realized Lucas had been sitting beside me for quite some time, "Are you listening?" "H-Huh? What were you saying?" He sighed, holding up the tiny bottle and spoon in his hands, "I said that you'll have to take this medicine every couple of hours if you aren't feeling well after I give you some. It doesn't taste that great, but it'll help you recover quickly."

I eyed the bottle with great suspicion; from what I saw through the clear glass, crushed and liquefied herbs were mushed into a chunky, green slop that had me convinced it was some sort of rotten sea algae or unpreserved diarrhea left out in the sun with mold growing over it. "I'm not taking that, it looks like crap." He took a scoop of the chunky abomination, waving it around, "Do you want to get better?" I rolled my eyes, "Of course I do, but I wo-" Lucas pinched my nose with one hand and shoved the filled spoon into my mouth, nearly choking me with the bitter, slimy herbs forced down my throat. With a reluctant shudder and the feeling of the horrendous goop over my assaulted taste buds, I swallowed the horrifying excuse for medicine before I suffocated from just the feeling of it alone. Lucas released me and took back the utensil, setting it and the bottle on the nightstand with a satisfied grin, "It isn't that bad, see?" I coughed hoarsely, screeching with a raspy voice, "That was fucking d-disgusting! Wh-why would you even thi-think of giving th-that to anyone!?" "You said you wanted to get better, I was only helping.", chuckled the blonde with a sly smirk. _I really hate this guy…_

_Lucas POV_

To make up for upsetting Barri, I made him a big omelet with all the ingredients he wanted in it. He acted like he was still sore about the whole thing, but I knew he was just pretending to still be mad and grumble about it. He must have been extremely worn out after finishing the whole meal, he basically just passed out on the bed with his stomach out and snoozing loudly. I was surprised, and worried, he'd fallen asleep on his own, considering how much he _didn't _want to. _He must be so tired, I think the circles under his eyes are darker… _I went to check his fever again, placing my hand over his forehead. Oddly enough, he wasn't as warm as I expected, he was actually normal, showing no signs of a fever at all. _It looks like he's breathing easily again and his fever has just disappeared! It's only been half an hour since I gave him the medicine, so it shouldn't have taken the full effects just yet… It's almost as if… _I breathed out calmly, looking over to the sleeping young boy, "I guess it's a sign, at least…"

_Barri POV_

I flinched harshly waking up, that's just how I always awakened from that nightmare. I was still underneath the covers, sensing a familiar, damp and warm feeling spread through my sweat pants and the blankets. _Ah, dammit… I really just-_ "Barri, are you awake?", I heard Lucas ask from the other side of the bed. My brain had completely frozen over, my body became uneasily tense and my mind was the equivalent of a blank stare. I was somehow able to sit up on the mattress, just staring between my legs with a void expression. "Barri?", Lucas inquired, shaking my shoulder, "What is it? Did you have another nightmare?" I didn't say a single word, nor did I budge at all, the only visible change in me was the growing red color in my face that spread all the way to my ears. "Are you alright? What's…", he finally noticed the dark stain surfacing on the sheets, "Oh… oh, um…"

I slowly made my way out of the bed, holding my pants up so they didn't touch the floor. I sulked out of the room with my head hung low, mumbling with utter humiliation, "… I need to go take a bath. I'll do the laundry."

_Lucas POV_

I striped the sheets and pillow cases off the bed, throwing them in a wooden basket so I could put on a clean set. I had to dig though the closet just to find a bed set that fit the queen sized bed, but I eventually retrieved a good one from the very top shelf. I turned the mattress over myself before applying the sheets and the blankets, finding that they just barely matched the size. _His nightmares must be worse than I thought, but what is it that makes them so bad? Is it some irrational fear of his, or maybe bad memories? What could be so terrifying to make him become like this? Ugh, it's no use trying to figure it out on my own, I doubt I could ever guess right since I know so little about him… _

I took the laundry basket with me when I left the bedroom to go outside and start washing the soiled sheets. A large portion of the blankets were, um, still wet, so getting out the stains and smell wouldn't be too trifling of a task. _He seemed so embarrassed, but it's not like I blame him. He couldn't even look at me and he still got pretty flushed, he must feel terrible… _I was nearly finished scrubbing out the stains in the second under sheet when the front door opened. Barri had certainly gotten out of the bath quickly, he was still drying his hair with a towel and his skin was still a bit wet. He looked my way for several moments, but he turned away shyly, going to sit down beside the doghouse where Boney was fast asleep. He sat with his legs close against his chest and his bright face hidden with his arms on his knees. _He's so worked up over this, he's not even acting like himself… _

"Er, Barri?" He did respond or even move, but I still continued to talk, "Um, h-hey, you don't have to be embarrassed. It's normal to wet the bed when you have a bad dream." He still didn't say anything, his silence was awfully unsettling. _I don't think I'm making this any better… _"I had nightmares all the time when I was a kid," I nervously laughed, trying my best to lighten the mood, "I would wet the bed almost every other night, and it wasn't exactly fun, but it's not like it was the end of the world. Everyone makes accidents, so it's not that bad!" Somehow, I got him to look up at me. He looked at me with a miffed, plain expression, but he was still more than red in the face, "You're terrible at cheering people up, you know." _I didn't think he'd say something so blunt. _"Yeah, I know," I sighed heavily, "Are you feeling any better at all?" He shrugged halfheartedly, "Hm, I guess… I don't feel sick, at least…" "Aren't you glad I gave you that medicine?", I giggled at the young boy. He narrowed his eyes at me with an icy glare, "Don't' remind me of, I'm still pissed about you doing that." _At least he's acting like himself again… _

"Well, since you're feeling better now," I said, "Are you feeling up to take care of some stuff with me tomorrow?" "What kind of stuff?" "Nothing much, just running some errands and visiting some friends of mine. You can come with me if you want to, I'd feel bad just leaving you here by yourself." He seemed a tad hesitant, but he sounded okay with the idea, "Okay, I'll go with you. I'd be good for me to get out for some fresh air."

_Barri POV_

The next morning, I didn't wake up vomiting or wetting myself, but it's not like I was full of gumdrops and lollipops. At the same time, I was actually feeling a lot better. For some reason, the nightmare was… fuzzy. I always know what happens, and the nightmare is always the same, but this time it felt like there were some things that I'd forgotten or didn't happen. It was odd, I've had this nightmare since I was almost seven years old, and nothing like this had ever happened. I don't know what, but something about it was different; something had changed…

Since I was up much earlier than Lucas, I decided to make us some pancakes and eggs. I managed to make everything just fine without any injuries or mishaps, and I was quite satisfied with my work. Lucas didn't complain when he finally woke up, he said it was a nice change from only eating omelets. I swear, I'm going to have to teach the idiot how to cook…

After getting dressed and taking care of our other morning duties, we decided to get going. "Ready to go Barri?" "Yeah, let's go. Are we going to bring Boney?", I asked. "Yeah, I'm sure he wants to come along with us too." Lucas grabbed a long, wooden stick that was behind the couch and walked out the front door. I followed him, but I was a bit confused, "Why are you bringing that?" "Oh, we're going into the forest, and some of the forest creatures can get pretty grizzly this early in the day. It's just for self-defense.", he said. "Okay then." I looked outside and saw the sun was just coming up. "Lucas, do you know what time it is?" "Yes, it's six thirty." I groaned at the young man tiredly, "Why are we going out so early?!" He merely shrugged, grinning diffidently, "I don't really like going out to places when people in the villagers are around, I guess." After waking up the old, hyperactive mutt, we set out on the road to wherever Lucas led us.

He was right, the town was dull and dead, nobody else was even up and around. It didn't take us long to get to the end of town. We strolled by the forest and entered through some giant gates into a place filled with a ton of dead grass and weathered stones along the trail. Then we started going past a few rocks. It's funny, those rocks looked a lot like grave stones. _Wait a minute, these _are_ grave stones…_

"Lucas, why are we in a cemetery?" "I wanted to come visit some people, it's been a while since I've seen them." _Seen who? I think he might mean his family..._ The three of us kept on walking, diverging from the main road until we reached a cliff. It was cut off from the rest of the cemetery by two grand rock walls, ne had sunflowers growing on its surface while the other was bare. There were only three graves in this area, and from left to right, the names above the small portions of text read: "Alec", "Hinawa", and "Flint". "These are my parent and my grandfather, its been about a month since I've come to see them, so I thought I should visit them.", Lucas mumbled quaintly. _Even his grandfather is gone? He really doesn't have any family, just like me… _"Oh…"

He laughed quietly, it sounded edgy and almost sad. I was puzzled by his odd reaction. _Why is he laughing? Is there something wrong with him?_ He cut away at the stems of a few sunflowers growing on the rock wall beside him. He offered one of the flowers to me in a friendly gesture, "You like these right? Since it's the end of summer, they're nearly fully bloomed." I had the feeling it was difficult for him to be here, and he wasn't truly laughing on the inside. He was trying to hide it from me, that made me feel sorry for him; he shouldn't have to hide his real feelings. I looked down at the bright canary flower, "Oh thanks. Sunflowers are my favorite, actually…"

_I don't get him, he's such a strange guy… "You're one to talk." "Shut up, you don't know him." "Neither do you." "Both of you stop fighting, it won't accomplish anything." _I began paying attention to reality, seeing Lucas put the remaining sunflowers over the graves. He kneeled down before them, speaking with a hushed tone. Boney trotted beside him, nudging his shoulder with a small whine. He scratched the dog under the ears with a loving voice, "Okay, we should get going, we still have things that we have to do." He stood from the grass, taking the wooden stick at his side before turning from the graves, "C'mon guys, let's get going." We left the closed off cliff, none of us saying a word. _Before I got here, it was just him and Boney… He doesn't seem like he leaves his house all that often, so he must have been there by himself all the time. I don't even know how long he'd have lived like that, he could have been that way for years and years. I understand what it means to be alone like that, and I know he's just hiding that from me. It must be hard…_ I caught up to the silent young man, taking his hand into mine. He was caught off guard by the unexpected action, but he didn't let go of my hand. "Barri?" I squeezed my tiny fingers over his, "Let's go. We've got things to do."

v(-_-)v

The forest was awfully bright, and the trees were thicker and much taller than the ones I've been used to seeing. Around the places I once lived, the trees always drooped like dead, wilted flowers that never reached their full potential. I liked climbing them, but I never could get very high up. _I wonder what it would look like from the top_. I placed my sunflower in between my shorts and my belt to ensure it would be safe and let go of Lucas's hand. I ran up to an ancient tree that had formed into an arch and began to work my way up. "Barri, what are you doing?" "Climbing, what does it look like?" Getting up on the bulky tree was much more exciting than any other saplings I've climbed before, and reaching the top was more than easy. I smirked at the blonde and the dog from the very top of the arch, "Why don't you try, Lucas, it's fun!" He shook his head, "Sorry, I don't really like heights." "Oh well, your loss. I can see pretty far from up here, the view is really nice." I admired the pale vermillion and violet shades painted across the sky with white streaks of jagged clouds. I turned my attention to the land, finding the grand oak trees and the peaceful, green grounds quite comforting. _This place is pretty cool, I could get used to coming around here. Wait… what it that?_

From behind the two standing down below, I could see something coming from further down the forest path. Once it was closer, I could see there were two huge boars or something, and they looked pissed. "Lucas! Boney! Behind you!", I shouted out. They turned around, jumping out of the way before the oversized pigs could run them over in their wild stampede. "Agitated Boars? They're usually up in the mountains.", I could hear the blonde gasp. He held the stick he was holding out as if he was going to attack, and Boney stood his ground fiercely, snarling dangerously. One of the boars came running at Lucas and he bashed it twice over its back, but it still hit him square in the chest. The impact sent him into a nearby tree, but he got up quickly and dodged the attack of the second pig, who Boney managed to jump on and sink his teeth into the pig's leg. I was about to jump down and try to help fend off the boars, but as if Lucas read my mind, he shouted, "Stay up there, it's too dangerous!"

I watched quietly as he hit one of the pigs four times. He was about to go for a fifth, but the pig's little buddy was sneaky enough to throw Boney far back into the bushes and ram Lucas from behind. This time, he didn't recover as quickly as he had before. When he tried getting up, one of the boars bit furiously into his arm, giving a hoarse, critical yell as blood spilled from the appendage with ease. _Dammit! I can't sit here and do nothing!_

Suddenly, I felt something dwell inside me. It was a blazing, vigorous and overwhelming sense screaming at me to let my instincts take over and deal with this. Without another thought, my legs moved to leap down from the distorted tree and faced the boars ready to charge my way. "I told you to stay up there!", the blond shouted, "Just get away!" The boar behind him slammed its feet on his back and he screamed again. My voice was let out like a fierce roar released from a lion who'd held his breath for much too long, "I won't leave you here to die, we're not going to be alone again!" The storm surging inside me was at its breaking point; something in me felt ready to burst. My arms shot out before me and my hand gave off a heavy, bright light.

"PK Love Alpha!"


	6. Chapter Five

**Chapter Five: If Only I Understood**

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Meh. Not much to say other than the story's getting a bit more interesting, and I like root beer. This chapter is a bit short, so there's that, I guess. Also, blueberry Darkrai.

**DISCLAIMER: All the psychics would have to wear mini red top hats and purple swimming trunks in the game if I owned this series. I don't see that happening anytime soon.**

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_Barri POV_

"PK Love alpha!"

I didn't understand what I was saying, but somehow large masses of rose and azure lights bathed in warmth shot out from my fingertips in grand, thin streams. The attack hit the helpless boars with unimaginable force, leaving them both nearly unconscious with only a small shred of strength to run away. The frightened pigs hightailed it back the way they came, not wasting a precious second to look back. I slowly put my arms down to my side, sensing my body feeling very… weary. I panted as if I'd ran a hundred mile marathon, holding my side with half lidded eyes. I took a glance at Lucas, he laid thrown against the tree and clutching his wound, his eyes widened and set directly on me. "Are you okay?", I asked in a low, weakened voice. He nodded, I smiled, "Good." Feeling a sluggish force washing over me, my knees gave away and my body dropped, knocked out cold before I even touched the ground.

v(-_-)v

_"He's been out for an awfully long time, don't you think?"_

_"So what? I could care less."_

_"You should at least be a bit concerned, he's very important."_

_"Hmph. Like I said, I could care less about him."_

I opened my eyes with a pained moan. _Ugh… who is that? They sound so familiar… _I was surprised to see I was in my own room, laying out in the middle of the bed. My body felt sort of numb and tingly, it didn't hurt that much, it was just… odd. I was able to sit up and turn around, finding two young boys facing me. They both looked exactly the same; same honey brown eyes, bright peach skin color, short and straight aurelian hair, even the tan suspender shorts and plain dress shirts were a perfect match. One sat hunched on the window, he looked to be a very unhappy individual who didn't take shit from anyone. The other twin sitting at the desk had an innocent air about him and he seemed to be much kinder than the other. _Who the hell are these guys? They look like six year olds… _The one in the chair grinned warmly towards me, "Hello Barri, we hope you're feeling all right_." _I glared at the strangers, not entirely sure how to approach this other than with questions, "Who are you two?" "What, you don't remember us? And I thought you actually had a brain.", the other said sarcastically. "Tell me who you are," I demanded, "And how you got in my room."

"You don't recognize our voices?", the annoying one rolled his eyes, "You really are dumber than I thought. We've been in your head for three months, I thought that you would remember who we were." _In my head!? How… They're the voices?!_ My eyes grew larger than the sun, "You're the voices in my head? That's just crazy! Who are you really?!" The one near the window huffed, "Says the one with voices in his head. As to who we are, I'm Adam." The other one nodded happily, "Yup, and I'm Evan. It's nice to finally meet you in person, Barri." I almost really didn't know they were talking, I was still staring at them like they had grown a hundred arms. _H-how can they be here?! I thought they were just some psychotic hallucination, but they're here! Why are they here?!_

Just then, I heard the door open. I turned around to see Lucas had walked in the room. Are you okay Barri? I thought I heard noises in here just now.", he said. "Yeah, that's beca- what?", I pointed to where the twins were just now, but they were gone. "Because what?", Lucas asked. _But they were just- you know what, I'm just going to pretend I didn't see anything. They were just a hallucination. A hallucination and nothing more. _"Um, never mind. It's nothing." Lucas sat beside me, he ruffled my hair affectionately, "Are you alright? I was really worried about you." "What do you-", I started, but then the forest came rushing back to my mind, "That's right, your arm!" I held on to his wrist to inspect the wound on his arm, but all I found was a patch of skin seeming to have been almost, if not completely, healed. "What? You're… okay…" He looked away from me, sighing with unexpected anxiousness, "Yeah, um, I sort of… healed myself…" _Healed himself? What the hell does he mean by that!? _"What? I don't understand… and then in the forest, I… I don't even know what I did, but…" "It's alright," he reassured me, "I'll try to explain everything that I can, though I'm not sure you'll believe what I tell you. I knew what you were, but I didn't think you could do something like that…" "What do you mean? You sound like you know what happened, but why?", I tugged on his arm desperately, hungry for answers.

"I don't know if you'll believe me," he began unsurely, "But I still have to tell you. I'm a psychic, as in, I have mental abilities that give me powers and control over various things using what's called PSI. I was able to heal my arm using one of my abilities." My brain was already horribly overwhelmed, but hearing something like that just broke the heavy load. "Psychic…? That's just… What?" "I know it's a lot to take in and it sounds completely absurd, but that's the truth." _A psychic… is that even possible…?_ "And what I did… in the forest," I pondered aloud, "That was… I'm I one too? A psychic…?" Lucas nodded, "That's right. I had a feeling you were, especially after hearing those "rumors" that you could shock and burn people just by touching them. You aren't cursed, you were just born with special abilities. I wasn't sure I could tell you what you were since I didn't know how you'd react, so that's why I never said anything. I was caught by surprise in the forest though, I wasn't expecting you to do what you did. The ability you used, PK Love, is something special that very few psychic are capable of using, it has the power to do great and bad things. As far as I know, there have been two psychics able to use this power; my brother, Claus, and me."

_Me, a psychic? I guess that could explain some of the things I've done before, but… it sounds crazy. Then again, I'm the insane child who burns people and constantly hallucinates, so I guess anything is possible. _"Your brother too? How did you guys know you were psychics?" The young man looked to be hesitant, as if debating over a difficult decision. "What is it?", I inquired, "Is something wrong?" "Well… I could tell you, but if I did, I'd have to tell you about the Magypsies, and then the Needles, and then a long story that isn't exactly a happy story, and I'm not sure that you'd really like to hear it."_Magypsies? Needles? What are those? _Unfortunately for him, my curiosity has never been something I could completely control. "So? I'm an orphan misfit," I said bluntly, laughing harshly at myself, "I know tragedy better than fairy tales and happy endings." He flinched at my severe self-bashing, still trying to protest, "But... You're so young, you wouldn't-" "Don't give me that "You're a kid, you don't understand" bullshit, that has nothing to do with it," I snapped angrily, tired of him trying to change my mind, "Trust me, I've seen things would drive a normal person to the depths of insanity and drag them down into hell itself, so don't even think that I wouldn't be able to understand anything you try to tell me. I don't care what it is that you say is too terrible, or morbid, or whatever the hell you think I wouldn't be able to tell me. Even if it is something I don't understand, or something so horrible that I cut my ears off so that I would never have to hear anything as horrifying as what you tell me, I still want to listen. So I'll listen to whatever it is you have to say, even if it kills me."

Lucas was definitely incapable of matching the pure force of my words, left completely speechless for several moments. "When you say it like that, I guess I can't really argue…", he took a worn, deep breath, "It won't be easy for me, but I'll tell you. Let's see… it started about nine years ago, probably around the time you were born, actually. The Sunshine Forest had caught on fire, and the whole village went into a frenzy…"

He told me the truth of what the past nine year of his life had been. He was right, it wasn't a happy story at all. It was anything but that, and he didn't try to sugar-coat it for me either. He told me straight out what had happened to him and the world around him without leaving out a single detail. He had the fate of the world riding on his shoulders, and he wasn't even that much older than me at the time. He was expected to save the world from the dark forces responsible for nearly everything that turned his life into a living hell, all while being one upped at almost every turn, barely having the strength to keep himself and his friends alive, and even having to fight the brother he believed to be dead. I wondered how he could stay sane through it all, especially having done and seen the things that he had. He said all of it made him a stronger person than he once was, having always been known as a helpless, weak-willed child by everyone in the village. He had painful memories, that's for sure, but he also had enjoyable ones as well. He looked for the light, even in the darkest of places, and it really did help him through some tougher troubles. Even still, sometimes there was no light to be found and there was no hope, and all he could do was grin and bear it. I can see why he thought I couldn't understand now…

"… And that's it. No one remembered except for us, and everyone's lives returned to the way they once were," the young man concluded, "Now they all live out their lives just as they once did so long ago, never knowing the past that they remember is just a great lie, but able to live in the peace I wanted for the world. Things are as they should be, and that's fine by me."

I leaned myself against his side, mumbling with a quaint, distant voice, "I had no idea… I really am sorry…" "Hey, you don't have to be sorry for anything," Lucas giggled with a soft, kind smile, "It's fine, really. I'm happy with things as they are now, so there's nothing to worry about." _I don't get it… He's gone through so much, yet he can still smile like that. I haven't done what he has, and I don't think I could ever recover from what's happened to me and the things I've done… He seems so happy all the time, so why can't I be as happy as him…?_


	7. Chapter Six

**Chapter Six: Only Someone Like You**

* * *

I don't even remember how long I've been working on this. I've been up until seven in the morning doing this (even though it's really just me not being able to sleep), so writing might be a little shit. Not complete shit, there's just a few droppings along the way.

**DISCLAIMER: Mother 3? I do not own thee.**

* * *

_Lucas POV_

I poured Boney's food into his bowl with a tiny murmur of exhaustion, I just told Barri about the equivalent of my entire life what felt like hours ago, but I couldn't help feeling incredibly bothered. _I wonder if telling him the truth was the right thing... I figured that I would have had to tell him sooner or later, but it feels like __something__ is wrong..._ The brown dog slithered out from the hiding place in his home, nudging his wet nose against my hand, "Are you okay?" "Don't worry, I'm fine. I think I'm just tired." I scratched him behind the ears with a quick and loving touch, then returned inside to put the kibble away under the sink. I turned towards the clock, taking note that it was well past six already. "I should probably go check on him. He hasn't eaten since this morning…"

Quietly, I made my way down the hall, politely knocking on Barri's bedroom door before entering, "Are you hungry? You should eat something before it gets late." He was still in the same position he was in twenty minutes ago; laying down on the bed, facing the window. It took him a while to reply, speaking faintly with a slight monotone, "I'm not hungry. You can go eat if you're hungry." I sat down next to his small form and frowned, "Are you all right? Do you want to talk about anything?", I asked. "About what? There's nothing to talk about." _What's with him? He's being really strange…_

I moved my hand close to him, but it was reflected by a grey, transparent shield. I withdrew my hand and gasped silently. _He__ must be under a lot of stress, I know for sure he can't make a PSI shield on his own. _"You're unhappy for some reason, why is that? You know that you can tell me anything, right?" I had to keep pressing him or else I would never get him to say anything to me. "I just- You don't need to worry about me so much, I'm fine.", he may not have noticed, but his voice was starting to crack. "You're not a good liar, Barri. Why won't you just tell me what's on your mind?" Neither of us spoke for a while, we just stayed silent. After some time had passed, he sat up and looked at me. By looking at his face, I could tell he was at war with himself with different emotions swelling up inside him. His scowl landed on me like a scorching piece of coal dropped down my shirt, "Why... I don't understand..." To be honest, he was beginning to frightening me, "Wh-what are talking about?"

"How can you be so happy after everything you've been through? Your whole family is dead and you were even almost force to kill your own brother, so how the hell can you be so cheerful all the time?!" Before I knew it, Barri charged at me with an unexpected strength, my back crashed into the wall as we plummeted from the bed. Dread washed over me when I realized he had great streams of tears streaked across his face and flowing down his reddened cheeks as the child's shaking, tiny fists were pounding into my chest. That pain was nothing compared to having to see him like this, it was like he'd gone completely off the edge. "You can worry so much about the safety of other people that you forget to look after yourself, and you just shrug it off like nothing! Then you just laugh about it, not even trying to act like you're worried about yourself! I don't get it, how are you so damn happy?!", he continued to yell. _I think I get it..._

Gradually, his punches started to slow down and then he slumped on top of me, "You idiot... how c-can you act like that? I d-don't understand..." He looked up at me with lost eyes searching for an answer. I told him all I really could, "I know you're worried about me, it's alright. I can tell you haven't had things easy either, so I can understand why you feel so unhappy. Maybe it's because I've been trying to let go of the past or I try not to remember it, but I don't know what it is for sure. I think you've got some things in your past like mine, so I know doing those things are difficult, but… sometimes it's for the better."

He looked shocked by my reply, and for a split second, I could have sworn he looked scared, but the expression left as quickly as it came. Slowly, he stood up, grabbing his cloak off his dresser and heading right out the door. "I need to go for a walk," he whispered, "I'll be back." Before I could ask him anything, he was gone. _What else is it that's been bothering him? What is it that's made him this way?_

_Barri POV_

I shut the front door, going down the hill along the path. I couldn't stop crying despite what I did to try and stop it, but it's not like any of that really mattered. _Why did I do that? I'm so stupid... _"Finally admitting it, huh? It's about time.", a nagging voice beside me said. I looked up to see Adam, watching me with the same cold, uncaring eyes he had before. I jumped at the appearance of the little boy. _Damn, he _is _real! _He rolled his eyes, "No shit, you're not that insane." "That's not a nice thing to say to him, he's already upset.", Evan whined to the other boy as he appeared at my side. Adam huffed, shaking his head at his look alike. I groaned loudly, though came out more like a pitiful whimper, "What do you want with me? If you came here to bother me, then go away."

Light drizzles of water fell all around us and black clouds covered the already darkened sky. I didn't lift my hood up on my head, it's not like it mattered since I'd get wet either way. I didn't realize we'd gone so far that we made it to long the shore of the ocean. Since it didn't bother me at all, I wasn't paying attention, more focused on ignoring the two arguing kids with me. Adam noticed me not listening, and he began to pester and prod at me with his irritating vent of a voice, "What's with you? Had a fight with your annoying wimp of a friend?", I glared harshly at him, but his was much stronger than mine, "He must really hate you now, what with you abusing him and all that yelling you did. You really are nothing but a whiny brat."

That was the last straw with that little punk, I was getting sick and tired of his crap. I pointed my index finger towards the golden haired boy and it all became a blur shouting from there, "PK Freeze Alpha!" A large beam of ice was created and going at him at a quick pace, but he dodged it with great speed. "Hey g-guys, you shouldn't fight!", Evan protested, but neither of us care to listen to him. I continuously shouted the same incantation and tried to hit the bastard, but he was just too fast. _Dammit! There has to be something I can do to slow him down! _Without even realizing it, I began yelling a different incantation, "Brainshock Alpha!"

The results were surprising to say the least. A lightning fast ball of violet energy hit the bastard square in the forehead, stumbling like a drunken sailor. He tried to get his balance straight, but he fell right on the sand, "Shit! What the hell did you to me?" His cursing mixed with Evan's hysterical panicking made me laugh like some kind of sadistic bastard, finally being able to kick his ass sure felt amazing, considering it _was_ one of the first things I had on my bucket list for a while.

Without warning, an aching shock of pain surged through the entirety of my body. My legs became weak like paper, making it easy for the howling wind to knock me face first into the sand. The two boys beside me vanished into nothing as I writhed, screaming at the pain in the pit of my stomach. The world started to spin round and round, turning my sight into clouded nothingness. Breathing heavily, I tried fighting off the darkness that covered my sight, but it was no use, I was far too weak to keep my eyes open.

"Hey!", in the distance, I could hear a frantic voice calling out. _That sounds like Lucas… I knew he'd come to get me…_

_Lucas POV_

_I have to find him soon, I have the feeling something is wrong! _

I ran out of Sunshine Forest, heading towards the beach. The small shower of rain quickly turned into a heavy storm in a matter of seconds. _If this keeps up, I'll never find him! _"Barri? Barri, where are you?", I bellowed at the top of my lungs. I pushed my damp hair away from my eyes, hoping it would help me see through the fog, but it didn't do much. In my haste, I'd forgotten my jacket, leaving me exposed to the frigid cold. My throat was becoming sore from calling out so loudly, but I didn't care. All that mattered was finding Barri and making sure he was safe.

"H-hey, wake up!", I could hear someone saying worriedly through the thick air. I turned to the direction the voice, picking up the pace at top speed. _Please, please let him be okay! _As I got closer, I could see two figures, one small lump on the ground and a second tall one kneeling next to it. _I think that's him! _My once cold face suddenly became warm and even more damp, my tears mixing with the uncaring rain. I could finally make out the features of the figure on the sand, dark and wavy hair covering his closed, dark eyelids.

"BARRI!", I nearly collapsed on top of him. I could feel his chest steadily rising up and down, perfectly in rhythm with his soft heartbeats. I gave a teary smile, "I'm so glad you're okay..." "Lucas..."

I looked up to the stranger, my eyes became as wide as his. His dark jacket and bright orange jeans were practically nothing but tattered rags caked in blood and dirt. His vermillion, matted hair had grown long and wild, leaving it with a mess of leaves and twigs stuck within it. Mismatched red and green eyes reflected in my own, filled with a swirl of loving and hopeful emotions. There was a sudden jump in my heart and hitch in my breath, and my eyes seemed to water more than they once had. This couldn't be real… It just couldn't be…

"C-Claus...?"


	8. Chapter Seven

**Chapter Seven: Surprises, Surprises**

* * *

I think this is the third chapter I've done today, so it'll prolly be okay since I'm in the mood for editing. Also: EDGE. EDGE. EDGE. Ahem, indeed.

**DISCLAIMER: "I don't own Mother 3? This is madness!" "Madness…? This! Is! ITOI! (Aaaaaaaand I suck.)**

* * *

"Claus... y-you're alive!", all I could do was gape at my dead brother with "dumbstruck" written all over my face. _This can't be real... I saw him die, I even felt his heart stop... h-how is this possible!? _I felt a pair of hands shaking my shoulders, "Lucas, snap out of it!" I came out of my trance and back to reality, without even thinking, I latched myself onto my brother. "You're really here, aren't you? Where the heck have you been all this time?", I cried quietly over the heavy rain. He quickly returned the embrace, abruptly pulling away from me, "I'll explain later, first we need to get this kid home to his family. His name's Barri, right?"

I nodded, "Yes, and just so you know, I _am _Barri's family." "Wha-" "Sorry to use your own words against you, but I'll explain later. We just have to get home before all of us catch a cold." Claus understood and waited until I picked up the unconscious psychic before the two of us hightailed it through the sleeping town. _Why, of all times, did he come here now? _I looked back at Claus, his face flushing from the cold, his breathing becoming tired and coarse like mine. _Well, he always did have great timing._

I half expected Boney to come running after us when we came charging up the hill, but I imagined he must have been asleep at this time of night. The two of us quickly got inside the house, slumping on the door once it was shut, completely out of breath. Claus smirked and laid his head on my shoulder with a deep, exhausted chuckle, "Just like old times, huh? Running in the rain like crazy, little kids." We laughed lightheartedly at the old memories of ours that seemed like an ancient, watery dream. We sat there for a while, just enjoying our time with each other. Barri must have heard us in his sleep, I could hear him muttering something quietly, moving his head closer to the crook of my neck.

Deciding it was time to get ourselves off the floor and not mess up the wood boards, I stood up to help my brother on his feet, "You should bathe and change your clothes, I don't want you getting sick. I keep most of my clothes in our old room." He smiled softly, "Alright, you should help the kid get into his night clothes. Don't forget to take care of yourself too, I know you won't unless I tell you." He walked down the hall and I did the same, going into Barri's room. I set him on the bed (and it was difficult, considering how tightly he was holding on to me) and got a large, white button up and yellow shorts for him from the closet. I threw his damp cloak and clothes into the laundry basket in the corner to be washed after the storm passed. Turning back to take care of the boy, I gasped when I looked down at his bare stomach. There was a large, wide scar that stretched from his left side to his abdominal region. It was definitely an old gash, judging from the light coral color, but it looked like it had been a nearly fatal blow from a knife or glass. I slightly traced my finger over it the scar, but stopped when Barri gave a faint whine from his sleep. _What happened? Did someone do this to him? _I shook my head and sighed. _I shouldn't pry into it, it wouldn't make him happy..._ I continued with my original task, drying his soaked hair with a nearby towel and putting on the garments I had for him. Once I had finished, I slipped him under the covers and gave him a small kiss on the forehead before going to change my clothes. Before I left the room, I think I heard him talking in his sleep again, but I still couldn't make out any words.

I made my way into the room Claus and I shared as young boys, I could hear the water running in the door next to the dresser, leading me to believe that he was still in the bathroom. I decided to lay on the bed and close my eyes for a while. _What happened to Barri? How did he end up unconscious on the beach, maybe something attacked him…? This is all so confusing, even more so now that Claus apparently came back from the dead..._

I sat up when I heard the sound of the bathroom door opening. Claus came out wearing an oversized turtle neck and some old sweat pants. He also wore a pair of black gloves over his hands, I thought it was strange, but I didn't question him about it. He had brushed his hair back into a low ponytail, but his short bangs refused to stay with the rest of his hair, so they just hung there awkwardly over his forehead. He sat next to me, but he didn't say anything to me. "What happened? I mean, you've been gone for so long, I even thought you were dead... Where were you?", I asked. "Remember Tanetane Island? I was stuck there this whole time, I'm not sure how I got there though...", he explained to me. "If you were stuck, then how did you get back here?"

Claus laughed, "This may be hard to believe, but a pink octopus brought me here. I found him swimming around when I was taking a walk on the shore the other day. Good thing I found him, he was a real life saver." _Pink octopus... that sounds familiar..._ "Oh, it was Ocho!" "Ocho?" I nodded, "Yes, he was a friend of a Magypsy, Mixolydia. He helped me get to Tazmily before when I got stranded there before." "Yeah, he was really nice. He even told me where to find some coconuts before we left.", Claus smiled joyfully. It went silent for a few seconds before either of us said anything. "So, Lucas," my brother began, "Where's dad? Is he out or something?" _That's right... he hasn't been here all this time, so he doesn't know..._ I spoke with a muted voice, turning my eyes to the floor, "He... he's not here. Not anymore." The air was dead once again, and if not for that, I wouldn't have heard his near inaudible reply, "I understand, you don't have to say any more..." I decided to change the subject, not wanting that to be something on his mind for too long, "You know, it's uncanny how well your timing is. Remember Barri? I adopted him less than four days ago." This knocked the redhead out of his sullen mood that was replaced with surprise, "What? You- He's your kid?" I laughed, I always enjoyed seeing his reaction to unusual news, "It wasn't actually my idea to adopt him, Duster and Kumatora thought it would be a good idea for me to spend time with someone." "Well that's a relief, I thought you'd gotten married without inviting me to be your best man. Then again, the girls in the village always thought you were pretty weird.", he teased. I just grinned at his little joke, when we were younger, he would always say things like that. "Oh, that reminds me, why was the kid out in the rain like that?", my curious brother asked. _Should I tell him? I don't want to lie to him, but..._

"We had a little argument. I said something that upset him, and he ran out of the house." _I guess it isn't a complete lie… _Claus didn't seem too convinced, I could tell he knew I wasn't telling the whole story. He's always had a thing for being able to know when someone was lying. It was an interesting (and almost scary) gift he had. Regardless, he let the issue slide, more focused on something else, "Lucas, do you know what Barri was doing on the beach?" I shook my head, "No, I just found you next to him and he was unconscious, why?" "You already know he's a psychic, right? I saw him shooting PSI attacks everywhere on the beach and sounded like he was yelling at something." _Why did he use his PSI again?_ I held my head in my palms, groaning at my own mistake, "Arg, I'm so stupid! I should have warned him about over using his abilities after what happened in the forest!" "So you _did_ already know. What happened in the forest, did someone get hurt?"

I explained the whole Agitated Boar dilemma to him, the things that have happened since he's been gone, and most of what I'd learned about Barri. I left out the details of argument I had with him, which only seemed to heighten Claus's suspicions. "He can use PK Love just like we can?", he asked. "Yes, it's almost too powerful to be in the alpha form. It's scary how much he's used his powers like you said, I can't help but worry him..." Claus smiled and grabbed my hand, "He'll be fine, I know it. If you keep this up, you won't be able to go to sleep. Go to bed and get some rest, you're going to need it. Good night Lucas."

Before I knew it, I was standing out in the hallway in front of the door that had been shut and locked. I sighed, bitingly dreading the thoughts in my head on the way to Barri's room. _I have the feeling that tomorrow isn't going to be all too pleasant…_

_Barri's POV_

I woke up to sunlight shining through the curtains, and flashing down upon on my face. I tried sitting up, but my sore arms and Friday laziness got the better of me. Looking down at my body, I saw that I had clothes I knew weren't mine, so I assumed they must have belonged to Lucas. I moved a little more in an attempt to sit up, feeling all of my appendages tense up in the most uncomfortable of ways._ Why am I hurting so much? I can barely recall what happened yesterday..._

From the open door, I caught the smell of eggs and other various enchanting smells definitely from the kitchen. _Omelets, I should have guessed he'd cook those..._ I (painfully) propelled myself out of the bed, dragging my aching legs all the way down the corridor. "Lucas, do you h-", I stopped in my tracks when I spotted some redhead cooking on the stove. He was wearing a blue hoodie, khakis, and dark gloves over his hands, which seemed awfully unusual for the summer. His waist length hair was tied into a ponytail, seeming to be gently brushed out. His right eye, the one not heavily bandaged around, was a dark shade of spring green, looking strong and confident. I couldn't put my finger on what exactly made me think this, but this guy looked so familiar, it was painful to wonder who he reminded me of. There was a nagging itch at the back of my head, but I ignored it for now. I was more intent on learning who this stranger was, considering there was some creepy looking dude in my house, who could very well be some kind of serial killer.

He gave me a warm smile, speaking nonchalantly, "Why, hello there, Sleeping Beauty. You're looking wonderful this morning." I narrowed my eyes on the stranger, off put by his odd greeting, "Okay, first: What the hell are you smoking? Second: Who the hell are you and what are you doing here? Lastly: Where the hell is Lucas, and did you do anything to him that possibly involves murder?" The redhead guy just stared blankly, "Huh. He was right about you having the mouth of a baby sailor." "Who was right? And you still haven't answered my questions." He rolled his eyes, "Alright, there's nothing I'm smoking, I sort of used to live here since I'm Lucas's brother and all, and he's just doing some laundry outside and I did nothing to him other than help him find you. Oh, and he told me about the baby sailor thing. Any other stuff you want to ask me? We could go for a nice round of twenty questions if you're up to it." _Oh. Well that was easy. I could do without the smartass remarks, b- _"Wait, Lucas's brother?!", I gasped, nearly choking on my own saliva when I gasped.

Redhead guy nodded, continuing to flip the omelets, "Yeah, we're twins even. I'm sure my brother told you something about me, I think he mentioned something like that." "Yeah, he did," I shook my head in disbelief, "I'm sure he mentioned something about you being _dead_. So what, did you just decide to come back from where ever the hell you went and go "Hey, guys! Turns out I wasn't _DEAD _for six years_!_ April Fools!"? If so, you're a whole season late for that." "Oh, really? Did you come up with that one by yourself?", chortled Claus, putting breakfast on the plates and clicking the burner off, "You're okay for a witty little sailor." I crossed my arms at the young man, "You're okay for an undead jackass." "Um, am I interrupting something?", Lucas mumbled from the front doorway, lugging a laundry basket half way filled with clothes, "I take it you two are getting along…" "Lucas, do psychics see ghosts?", I motioned my hand towards the jackass, "Because I think I found one right here." "Nice one." "Don't worry, Barri, he isn't dead," the blonde reassured me, "I know it's crazy, and we're not sure how it happened, but apparently, my brother has been stuck on an island for a while, you see…"

v(-_-)v

"After that," the redhead concluded, picking at a cheesy piece of omelet with his fork, "We dragged you all the way back, and now here we are." _Something about his voice really pisses me off, not sure if it's the sarcasm or the arrogance. _"Okay, that does account for _some_ things," I sighed, then mumbled under my breath, "Not that anything you said really makes any logical sense, but I'll just accept it as it is." Surprisingly, Claus wasn't that bad of a cook, not that I would ever say that to his face. They were pretty fluffy, but they also had a bit more of a kick and spice than Lucas's omelets normally did. I think he might have added a little bit of milk in it too, since it tasted sort of creamy, I guess. "Do you like the food?", the jackass grinned, "You look like you're enjoying it." "Shut up, you're getting a swelled head over nothing.", I grumbled at him.

"I've got some things I have to go take care of," Lucas said, turning to Claus, "Do you mind watching Barri while I'm gone?" "No problem, bro." "Hey!", I shouted, certainly not pleased with the idea, "Why do I have to stay with him? Can't you just take one of us with you?" "Well, you see," he explained, "We decided that Claus shouldn't go out when the villagers are around because they'll all start asking questions which would have some trouble answering, considering being "dead" to them for almost ten years and them not remembering anything about the past. Besides, I don't trust either of you to be on your own here and you should get the chance to bond and learn about each other since I have the feeling you two will kill each other if you don't spend some quality time together." _He's right about that last part. _"But I don't want to, he's a jerk." "Aw, you don't really hate me, do you?", Claus teased. His brother shot him a stern look, but then turned to me with pleading eyes, "C'mon, it won't be that long, just an hour or two. If you're good, I'll get you a new book." _He's really trying to bribe me, isn't he? Like that'll work. _"No."

"Two books?"

"No."

"Three?"

"Still no."

"Three books, and a journal."

_No._

"Fine."

_... Dammit._

I really have no sense of self control. Dammit. "Huh, I didn't take you for a bookworm.", Claus giggled. "Shut up, jackass!" The blonde got up from his chair, snagging his sweater off the rack and ruffled my hair with a tormented sigh, "Just try not to break any bones or anything in the house while I'm gone, okay?" I stared blankly at him until he sighed again, "I'll be back soon. Just at least _try_ getting along with him, okay? He really is a good person when he isn't annoying or driving people nuts. Trust me, he's my brother, I know how he is sometimes." "Fine," I replied reluctantly, "But I still don't like the idea." _I'll do it, just to keep Lucas happy. I do owe it to him… _The jackass in question grabbed me from behind, nuzzling his face on my cheek as a puppy would, "Come on Barri, don't you love me?" "NO, get the hell away from me!", I growled furiously. In the midst of all the chaos, Lucas quickly grabbed his weapon from behind the couch and made his escape.

v(-_-)v

Somehow, I managed to get the idiot off me by telling him to wash the dishes with me. I took on drying duty and he scrubbed the plates. Of course, Lucas being his wonderful and worrying self, hasn't cleaned the kitchen since Monday, (right now it's Thursday) so the kitchen was a great, huge mess. We were both quiet until we were near the end of the chore, and Claus was the one who decided to break the ice first, "So… What was it that you were doing on the beach yesterday? I saw you using PSI, but it was really odd. It looked like you were trying to attack something." _He saw that? I was attacking Adam, but I can't just say I was trying to hurt someone who probably doesn't exist, he'd just think I'm crazy… __"I thought I saw a monster," I lied, able to keep a straight face, "I got scared and started just throwing attacks everywhere. It was hard to see since it was so foggy, so I might have just been seeing things now that I think about it."_He glanced my way, unexpectedly looking serious, "Really? You don't seem like someone who'd get scared that easily." _Does he know I'm lying? Maybe he's just suspicious of me, but I don't entirely think that… _"I'm paranoid, if you even care to know that. I freak out about things and get jumpy, so it isn't that surprising.", I stated, not entirely lying this time.

I could tell he thought I made a good point, but it was still obvious to me he didn't buy the idea. I was expecting him to press harder on the matter, but instead he changed the subject, "So, how well do you and my brother get along?" I've never been one to enjoy talking about my relations with others, considering I never have worked well with others, but I still decided to answer his question. "We've only known each other for a few days, but I guess we've gotten really close. He can be a bit too much sometimes when he gets worried over something, which happens all the time. I can't do anything without having him freak out, it gets to be a real pain sometimes. Still, he isn't that bad of a guy, so there's that. Even if he worries too much, it's just because he cares about my wellbeing, and I don't blame him for that…" _I guess I really have gotten attached to him_._.._ Claus smirked, "Aw, that's so adorable, it's like he's your mommy! You're not as much of a rude little sailor as I thought."

It's official, I hate him.

_Lucas POV_

"R-really, he's still alive?", the princess exclaimed. I nodded, "Yes, I'm positive that it's him, he knows things only the two of us could know. I'm going to have to go now, I don't want him and Barri killing each other. We'll talk more about this later." I turned to leave, but Duster yelled after me, "Wait, don't you even know how he's still alive?" "No, the three of us don't know how it happened. I really have to get back soon, I don't know how long those two can be together without burning the house down. I'll see you guys tomorrow

_Barri's POV_

_Finally, some peace and quiet. _The jackass was fast asleep on the couch, I sat on the opposite side leafing through my novel. I tried reading like I'd planned on, but for most of the time I've been stuck with Claus, my mind has been drifting to the strange occurrences that have been happening to me. _It doesn't make sense, why couldn't I see Evan and Adam before? They say they were in my head, but how did they come out? Maybe... it was after I used my powers for the first time that I could see them, so that could be a connection. Now that I think about it, how did they come into my head in the first place? It's been almost three months since they first showed up, but somehow I haven't really wondered where they came from. Are they just some hallucination like I thought, or are they-?_

I became distracted by the sound of the door opening, seeing Lucas had come back home. "Finally, it feels like you've been gone forever.", I said to him. He smiled and looked over at his brother, then his grin turned into a small fit of giggles, "You must have been too much for him, he's sleeping like a baby." I shook my head, "No, he just didn't want to watch me read. He said that "books are boring"" That last sentence came out bitterly, I really am an obsessive bookworm. "Well, I should at least give you these.", he handed me three large books and a brown leather bound journal at the top of the stack. "Thanks, I was almost reading the book I'm on now, so I appreciate this," I took the presents and set them on my lap, I began twiddling my thumbs and looking down at the floor, "Oh, and Lucas? I, um… I'm sorry. About yesterday, I mean. I wasn't really mad at you, I was just, um…" "It's okay," he grinned, "You don't have to apologize. I know you were feeling confused, so I don't blame you. Guess what? I've got a surprise for you." "Huh? What do you mean?"

"Starting tomorrow, we're going to teach you how to control your powers."


	9. Chapter Eight

**Chapter Eight: Mind Training**

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I don't think there's too much in this chapter I've changed from the original, but it's still not that bad. After my five day long streak of editing, I think that the writing has been getting better. Not sure if I can say that for future chappies, but hey, I can hope.

**DISCLAIMER: Given I didn't even have a Game Boy Advanced or live in Japan when this game was released, I don't own Mother 3.**

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_Barri POV_

_It's four in the morning, the sun isn't up in the sky yet, and I'm tired as hell... I think only a sane person would be able to see what's wrong with this picture. And to it all off, it's the end of summer and it feels like it's been forever since we woke up. Who the hell thought this was a good idea? _I gave an exhausted groan as we got into a small clearing with some brown rabbits hopping around. "I know you said this is for my training, but don't you think this is a little too much? I think I'd enjoy this more if Claus was here and half asleep like us." _Lucky bastard got to sleep in. _The blonde shuttered with a slightly horrified face, "Th-that isn't such a good idea. He isn't exactly… cheerful being woken up by other people. Ugh… make sure not to wake him up when he's asleep. Ever."_ Huh. I wonder what's so bad about the jackass. _"Whatever, let's get going."

After jumping over the backs of turquoise frogs in the river, we made it to a house in the shape of a violet seashell at the center of a tiny pond (I now know not to question these things anymore and just go with it). I noticed near the entrance of the cottage there was a man kicking some pebbles around. He seemed to be in his late 20's and looked to be very mature (unlike most people Lucas seems to know). Lucas waved over to the brunette and shouted, "Hey! We're here!" The man turned around, walked over to us with a slight limp in his step, "Hey, good thing you two got here, Kumatora's almost finished setting things up." "That's great. Barri, this is Duster, him and Kumatora are both going to help you with your PSI training." Lucas's friend gave me a bright smile, "Didn't worry kid, if Kumatora tries to kill you, I'll hold her back so you can get away." I could feel my left eye twitching slightly as I spoke, "Yeah thanks, nice to meet you too."_ I'll never meet a normal person that's friends with Lucas, will I?_

The door of the seashell was nearly kicked down by the princess of Oshoe herself, as she came skipping down the mushrooms that grew in the pond. "Hellooo Goldie! Such a beautiful morning, isn't it?" _I __can still see the moon in the sky, you psycho. I wish she didn't have to be the one to teach me… _I gave the young woman my best fake, ill-willed grin, "Why yes it is, Pinkiedinks. Just real fucking dandy." Lucas must have sensed the hostility in the air when he spoke, "Can you two please get along without murdering each other? It's really too early for that." I sighed with great displeasure, "Okay, I know I won't like it, but I'll try." "Well put, now let's get started," she cracks her knuckles and laughed sinisterly, "This is going to be wonderful!"_ Why do I get the feeling I won't be able to walk again once this is all over?_

Duster and Lucas sat on the sidelines while Kumatora and I were out in the open field. The pinkette picked up a rock no larger than her hand, "You see this? This is a rock." I rolled my eyes sarcastically, "Really? I had no idea, I thought it was a turtle." "Shut up. This is going to help you with PSI control. PSI techniques require a minimum amount of psychic energy to be used correctly. You, however, have been exceeding the maximum. This rock is going to fix that issue." "So... The rock is going to be my teacher?" The princess gave me that shut-up-and-quit-being-a-smartass look, holding up the stone as if she'd clock me with it. "Fine, I'm listening." "Anyways, I want you to do this.", the rock hovered over her palm as she let go of it.

"... I don't know how to do that." "Just focus your energy on it, give it your all.", the stone stopped defying gravity as she tosses it over to me._ Here goes nothing... _I kept my eyes on the round object trying to make it levitate, but it didn't even move an inch._ Come on, do something already! _Without warning, the rock zoomed up into the air and kept on going skyward. I tried looking to see if it was coming down, but I lost track of it.

"... I think I'm going to need another one."

Kumatora whistled as she walked over to me, "Holy crap Goldie, don't hold back or anything. Here, I've got something to help you." She pulled out something from her parka pocket and slipped it on my wrist. It was a soft, azure wristband with a small bull's head sewn on the front. "This is the Ox Band, it's used to cut PSI power in half and store what you don't use. Now, try again." "Yeah, but I still nee-ow!" The stone I'd previously sent into space dropped harshly on my head and perfectly landed in my open hand. "Never mind..."

I refocused myself and started making an effort to get the stone moving. Within, seconds it lifted itself from my palm and just floated there. _I'm making it do that, I didn't think I'd be able to. _"You're doing great for a beginner.", the princess commented. I didn't dare break my eye contact with the stone as I spoke to her, "Good thing I can multitask, or I'd have lost my concentration a while ago." "Okay, but since you've got that down, let's try something a bit more advanced." She grabbed the rock and put some distance between us. After, she turned to face me and gave a sly smirk, "Think fast!" Kumatora hurled the stone in my direction with a great amount of speed. If I hadn't dodged the dangerous projectile, I might have been shipped off to the morgue. "What the hell!? Are you trying to kill me?!", I yelled furiously. Lucas called out to the psychotic pinkette with worry, "I thought we agreed on _not_ committing murder!" She merely shrugged, "Calm down, I'm just making sure he's wake for this. Now Goldie, I want you to reflect the rock, not dodge it." "Then why didn't you say so before?" She picked up another pebble off the ground and replied with a giggle, "'Because I knew it'd piss you off. Now let try again."

This time there wasn't as much force applied to the stone, but it was still pretty fast. Without having a second to think, I flexed my arm as if trying to swat something a way, and the stone changed its course to target some trees. "That was easier than I expected, and you call that advanced?" The royal laughed villainously, "You want a challenge? All right then, you asked for it!" She barely even lifted a finger, yet all the pebbles surrounding her in about a five foot radius all rose in midair. "Shield Alpha.", I heard the wide-eyed blonde mutter as a pale emerald force field guarded Duster and himself._ Looks like I've got my work cut out for me..._

I knew I was always quick for a nine and a half year old with short legs (my legs are what's small, not me), but I never realized how sensitive my reflexes were! Kumatora would throw about forty to fifty rocks at once, yet I was somehow able to fend off each and every one without breaking a sweat. "Ready to give up yet?", the princess taunted arrogantly. I laughed with pure excitement, "Hah, you wish! I'm just getting started!" The brunette clinging to dear life on the sidelines called out to us, "I think it'd be a good idea to stop, Lucas looks like he's ready to have a heart attack!" "This is really dangerous, you know!", my guardian yelled.

The stones dropped to the ground as Kumatora put her hands on her hips, "Oh fine, I should probably start teaching you some PSI techniques anyway." I was a tad disappointed we were stopping the warm-up, I was really looking forward to kicking her ass. "So what are these techniques you keep rambling on about?", I asked. "PK Freeze, PK Love, and Brainshock are some you can already use from prior knowledge, but I'm sure you know some others. Try and think hard about it.", Pinkiedinks explained._ Oh, so that's what those were, even if I did only use them on instinct. _I pondered more on the subject in my mind, and a crap load of stuff came flooding into my head that kind of freaked me out. "There's PK Fire, Life Up, Hypnosis, Flash, Shield, PK Teleport, Offense Down, PSI Magnet... And some other thing, but I can't really place the name or description. These are all in the alpha stage too." Kumatora was nearly as surprised as I was, "Holy crap Goldie, no wonder you're such a powerhouse! You're loaded with techniques for a kid your age!" "Well I guess that just proves how special I am, doesn't it?", I chuckled with a smirk.

"Yeah, okay. Let's get started off with PK Teleport, I guess. It's pretty damn useful and unlikely to kill anyone. Some psychic kid taught it to new a few years back when I was picking up something from Phrygia's house. I didn't even know it existed until then.", she said. "Is it like a traveling technique?", I guessed by its name. "Yeah, it's simple to use, but it's difficult to use is small areas. It also only works when going to places you've already been to. I'll give you a little demonstration." Kumatora backed up to the point she was against the rocky wall that enclosed most of the valley, I moved out of her path to ensure I wouldn't get caught in whatever she planned on doing. "Pay attention Goldie, PK Teleport Alpha!"

She got into a running start and was at nearly lightning speed before she passed me and disappeared across the river._ Huh, that looked cool. I wonder when she'll be back. _Not even five seconds later, the princess appeared in front of the frog bridge and dashed over to me, "Geez, I know it's summer and all, but the beach shouldn't be that hot." My eyes widened with surprise, "You really got there in such a short amount of time? That's crazy!" "Yeah, well so are you. Now it's your turn, do what I did, and think of a place you've already been to before. Picture it in your mind. After that, I wish you the best of luck.", the pinkette gave me a thumbs up as she went to join the others sitting by the pond. I walked back as far as I could before bumping into a tree. _I really hope this doesn't kill me..._ I imagined the first place that popped into my head, then yelled out as I shut my eyes tightly, "PK Teleport Alpha!" I could feel my legs working at an unimaginable speed and wind flew past me fiercely. When I heard a faint zapping sound, it all stopped.

Carefully, I reopened my eyes and was amazed by my surroundings. I was standing at the heart of Yume Woods, right in the secret hideout known by only one person who was still alive. It was a dark meadow shaded in large trees where sunflowers and white lilies grew, mysteriously not needing any sunlight._ I can't believe it... it's been a long time since the first. Oh, isn't the beginning of August tomorrow? How could I forget something that important? I wonder how I'm going to get out of the house…_

"I should probably get back, or Lucas might start spazzing out." With another shout of the warping incantation, I rushed past the old oak trees and teleported back to the valley. Kumatora and Duster had to cut the lesson short, they didn't say why which caused me to have my suspicions, but the two ran off before I could even get out a single question. Since there wasn't much else to do, Lucas and I returned home to find the redhead 'Patchy' making us breakfast (I still refuse to admit it was the most amazing meal I've ever eaten). After that, I went and locked myself in my room while Lucas went to feed Boney, and Claus did who knows what. I decided to use that journal Lucas got me from the market by having it to document the things I've learned since coming to live here. It contained all of the weird things that have happened to me and when they occurred as well. I thought it would be good to write it all down, just in case I ever needed the information that I could somehow forget.

Just as I put the notebook in the desk drawer, Lucas came in the room with a pile of clothes in his arms, looking to be almost too much to him. I arched a brow, "Need any help?" "No, I've got it." _Why's he always so stubborn?_ Speaking of stubborn, I was reminded of something I had to do. "Hey Lucas, you don't mind if I go out tomorrow morning by myself? I've got to do something I've got to do.", I told the blonde. He gave me a simple grin, "Of course, you don't have to ask. Where are you going to go?" I turned away and looked out the window, where the sun was brightly shining, "There's someone that I have to visit. That's all."


	10. Chapter Nine

**Chapter Nine: Ghost of the Past**

* * *

Nearly half done with this, considering this story isn't too long in length. I really like how it's coming out so far, quite so indeed.

DISCLAIMER: Disclaiming disclaimer of disclamation shall disclaim.

* * *

_Barri POV_

I chose to wake up around five in the morning so that I could leave the house without being bothered. Sure enough by the time I was out of the shower and dresses, Lucas was out cold in the bed. Before going, I retrieved a straw basket I found next to the couch, and quickly scribbled down a note on scrap paper and left it on the kitchen table for my guardian to read. _I hope he sees it_, I thought hopefully as I waved goodbye to Boney, who was wide awake, but didn't seem that he wanted to follow me. I walked along the wooden fence, down the grassy hill, and gave a small breath before muttering an incantation, "PK Teleport Alpha."

I saw the world rush past me for a split second, then I found myself back in the middle of the dark, flower field. I got on my knees so that I could easily scoop up a few bunches of lilies and sunflowers, they were all unbruised and fresh from the normal isolation from human contact. _I hope he likes these, they're his favorite after all..._

Once I had secured the plants in their carrier, I got up from my spot in the grass and started pushing some bushes from the ground so I could make a path for myself. After a few minutes, I was able to find the main route of the forest. It was less colorful and much duller than the secret area I emerged from, but was still beautiful in its own way. _I the gates are close by, I should be there soon. I'm glad Kumatora taught me that technique, it would have taken me two hours to get here._ I took a right at the fork in the road I came up to, and sure enough the metal arch that read "Willow Wood Cemetery" stood rusty and tall. When I stepped foot into the graveyard, a slight feeling of depression came over me, but I guess that's normal, right? It is a cemetery after all.

The cemetery was what some people would label as eerie, what with all the dead grass and half-buried tombstones weathered from the harsh elements, but it does have a few outstanding features. As suspected by the area's title, willow trees are scattered all over the place. I don't understand why, but I feel nostalgic when I see them, and I can never remember why. It's also quiet. Not the hauntingly creepy sort of quiet, but more of a peaceful silence. I might have spent more time here if not for one simple thing preventing me from staying here for too long.

I ventured further into the jungle of decay and climbed a hill barring a few more dead trees and a lone gravestone freshly cut into the form of angel wings. "Jake Sevi Rivers 3021-3033, Brave and Kind.", I read the inscription carved into the black marble. I sat myself next to the rectangular patch of grass that stood out with all the surrounding, brown plants and I began placing flowers on the grave, one by one. I spoke softly, my voice turned to but a whisper in the air, "Hey Jake, it feels like forever since I've had the chance to visit you. I hope you're doing okay wherever you are. You always told me I'd get adopted one day, and it looks like you were right. Aren't you proud of me? Lucas is really nice to me, and I bet you would've gotten along with him if you were here; he acts a lot like you. His brother Claus would probably love to annoy you all the time, he's sort of a jerk. You might not believe me, but they're both psychics, and I am too. Isn't that crazy? You always did say I was special. I've made friends with them and the people they know, even though they're a lot older than me, but they're really nice to me…" I think I was trying to make myself feel better in a way, but all it really did was make me feel empty inside. When he was alive, Jake would always listen to anything I told him, and I remember how we used to laugh and smile about it all afterwards... but that was a long time ago. He was dead now, nothing could change that.

I buried my face into my palms to keep my tears at bay, but had no such luck as they all seeped through my fingers with ease, "You fucking idiot… Why did you do it...? You didn't have to kick the bucket like that…" _I can't believe what an idiot I am, why do I keep doing this if I always end up like this?_ A sweet and familiar voice broke my train of thought immediately, "I wish you wouldn't beat yourself up like this, it makes me sad. I love the flowers you brought me though..."

I don't think I can describe how I felt with words alone when I saw my dead, transparent best friend laying back against his own gravestone, smelling the scent of a sunflower's petals sorrowfully. I was frozen for a moment, unable to process the whole situation in my head. "Jake!?", I choked out, coughing with a red face. He lifted his head, then tilted it sideways in confusion, "You can see me? That's so strange, I met someone yesterday who could see me too..." I felt as though I could hardly breathe, and the air around me seemed to feel thick. My mind hazed over, and passed out from shock.

v(-_-)v

I felt a large surge of electricity go throughout my body, my body shot up from the grass like I'd had water splashed over my face. The worried brunette in front of me gave a distressed sigh, "Please don't pass out again, I'm having trouble using PSI right now." My eyes grew as large as plates, I pointed at the see through boy, "Okay, woah woah woah, just stop right there! I-How are you here, and how the hell do you know about PSI? This is just freaky, you're dead, aren't you?!" Jake giggled, "You act so hilarious when you're surprised, sorry about that. You can see me because you're a psychic, not all can see spirits though, it's an ability you have to be born with. And as for the PSI dilemma... Well, you can already guess, can't you?"

"... You're a psychic, and you never told me.", I said flat out, slightly annoyed by this turn of events. "Well… something like that. I'm sorry I never told you about myself or you, I knew what you were, but I thought it would be best to have you realize your own powers. I had a feeling you would realize it soon enough." "So you always knew? Geez, it looks like I'm the last person to figure it out. The only reason I even know is because someone pointed it out for me." Jake had gathered a few flowers he had in his hands and began weaving them into a halo, "That's okay, most psychics don't realize anything until they're adults, we got a bit lucky." _Yeah right, since when are we ever lucky? He's not alive… but he's still here. Maybe I can ask…_

"Jake, tell me why…_ Why did you kill yourself?_"

Once that sentence left my lips, the spirit fell suspiciously silent, as if he had something to hide. Even so, that didn't stop me from prying further, "Why'd you do it? I know you were sick and you were in pain, but I know you would never kill yourself because of something like that." Jake's eyes became cold and serious, I was scared by how icy and sharp his voice became, "It isn't something you need to know, it isn't something you would understand. You're better off not knowing why, and it doesn't concern you either." I've never seen my friend act like this before, it was like he was a complete stranger. "What's wrong with you? What do you mean it doesn't concern me? I'm your friend, aren't I? It would at least be decent of you to tell me the reason you did all that to yourself! Did you even know that I almost committed suicide because of what that did to me!? I almost killed myself just to be with you, so don't say it doesn't concern me!"

His stone expression quickly turned into one of surprise, then self-hatred. It took me a minute to understand the severity of what I'd just said, when I did I found myself crying once again. I covered my mouth instinctively and spoke so quietly that I could hear my own heartbeat, "I'm sorry, I'm j-just worried. When you were gone, I didn't know what to do. I was planning on getting help for you, but then I realized it was too late and I found myself with a rope in my hands, then I... Oh god, please don't be mad, I just…" I nervously touched the back of my neck where I could feel the sensitive skin, still feeling the rope burns.

Jake stood up and placed the flower ring over my ruffled, dark hair, "... I understand. Still, I can't tell you... I've... done some things I'm not proud of, and I don't think you'd ever want to still be if I told you. Try to understand, please forgive me." Before I could say a word to him, a whirlwind surrounded the brunette, and he vanished.


	11. Chapter Ten

**Chapter Ten: Like You, Your Hate is a Lie**

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This is the third one I've done in the past two hours, but at the same time, they don't require too much editing other than story details. Blargity blarg, story.

DISCLAIMER: What dost thou think? Nay.

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_Claus POV_

Eating food that wasn't some form of wild animal or psychedelic fungi felt so strange, but I've gotten more accustom to it since my stomach has been nothing but a black hole since I've gotten back. The closest I'd gotten to real food in the past six years were some coconuts and tasteless bananas if I was luck. As I contently munched on my blueberry pancakes, I couldn't help twirling my slender fingers around the freshly cut ends of my short, vermillion hair. _Finally, my hair's back to the way it used to look, it was so heavy and made me feel like a girl._ The knob of the front door slowly twisted, my muscles tensed fearing it was a villager when light poured into the dull room. My sharp shoulders relaxed at the sight of the young and quick-tempered ravenette who carried a basket of flowers with a sunflower tiara on top, along with a petrified expression looking as if he just saw a dog run over by a cart.

My suspicious nature began to take over at the sight of the boy. _Why does he look so morbid? I think he might throw up... _"Hey, sailor, where'd you run off to?", I inquired from the psychic child. He bit his lower lip neurotically as his grip tighten around the woven hamper, "Um, I-I took a small stroll, n-nothing too big." I didn't need to read his mind to know he mentally cursed himself, seeing as we both knew what he said surely wasn't the truth. "Yeah, sure you did. So what did you _really _do? Don't worry, I won't tell Lucas." _At least he can't tell when I lie. _The boy shook his head, "Th-that's none of your business. It's not even that big of a deal." His breath was shaken, though he seemed not to notice it. _Geez, you'd think he killed someone with all the guilt and crap coming out of his mouth._ "Really? If it's "not that big of a deal" then why lie about it?" The golden eyed child flinched harshly under the pressure of my words. I was surprised at how much he was holding back, by now I expected him to start screaming his head off.

Maybe he was just too scared.

"Seems pretty stupid when you think about it, huh?", I told him as I go up to dump my dirtied dished in the sink. He stood behind the door, looking at the floor silently. I turned away from him, "So, what do you have to say now?" I could hear the light sound of footsteps, fading quietly into the hallway as a soft tone gave my reply:

"... I hate you."

_Ouch. That really stings. _I frowned, disappointed at the rash boy, "If you're upset, you should try talking to someone about it. Pent up aggression isn't healthy!" "Fuck you!", is all I got, just before his bedroom door crashed closed so harshly, the house felt as though it had shook. _Hm, I might have been too insensitive with him. I should go apologize..._

Within seconds, I was at his door tapping the wood with my gloved, metal finger, "Hey Barri..." "Go away you jackass!", his voice cracked awkwardly, muffled by some sort of cloth. _Ugh, he's so stubborn. And I thought teenagers were bad._ I used my artificial hand to turn the doorknob to the point the lock busted open. I peeked into the seemingly empty room, taking notice one of the pillows was missing from the bed and the sheets were untidy. I crawled on top of the mattress and peered over it to find Barri with his knees pressed to his chest, face buried into the large cushion, muzzling his quaint sniffles. I ruffled his dark hair delicately, "Hey, are you all right?" He lazily swatted my hand away, "I just want to be left alone! Why don't you get that!?" "... You know, if something is bothering you, you can always tell me and Lucas." "..."

I knew I wasn't going to get anything out of the kid, at least not now. I left the room, letting him have his time to himself. He really is a handful, but I guess all kids can be like that. I think Lucas might have been right, maybe I did have to just give the kid some time and let him open up to me, but I was too impatient for something like that.

_One way or another, I'll try to understand him…_


	12. Chapter Eleven

**Chapter Eleven: How Do You Understand Me?**

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_It's a chapter. 'Nuff said._

_**DISCLAIMER: If I truly did own Mother 3, it would involve some wibbly-wobbly timey-whimy bullshit and shenanigans that could never be explained. Trust me, it doesn't.**_

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_Barri POV_

Every other day for the past two weeks, Kumatora has been up with me in the mountains bright and early (and tired). Lucas and Duster usually joined us, and Claus and Boney would be there too if they were in the mood to get out of the house (which Claus was often). Within a short amount of time, I was able to grasp the control of most of my PSI, including Fire, Freeze, Teleport, Flash, and Brainshock. The rest are giving me quite a few issues. PK Love was difficult to handle, I nearly defaced a mountain the last time Lucas tried to help me with it (and that was WITH the Ox band), so I don't even think about using it. Then there's that other power... I know it's there, but... I don't even know how I'm supposed to use it. All I know is that it's there somewhere.

I kneeled in front of an ancient mirror, caked in hundreds of years of dust, inside a high tower of Oshoe Castle. About nine days ago, I had an idea to come here. I remembered my guardian telling me ghost inhabited the place and I wanted to test out that ability my friend told me I had... So far, what he said was true. A few floors below, I met a large family in the dining room with the long table, dancing, laughing, and eating. They were really nice people, one of them even traded me beef jerky (hell if I know how he got it) for a rotten eclair I found in the kitchen. Even though they were dead, being around people for long periods of time wears me out, so I decided to go wandering the castle alone, that's how I found myself in this room. I wanted to be somewhere I could just think and be comfortable, and it seemed I found just the place. I hugged my knees, thighs pressed to my chest, staring into the dark honey irises that just seemed to laugh back at me. I viewed my face and examined my features: My thick lashes touch where the dark circles under my eyes were fading, and my skin wasn't pasty like it was about a month ago, but now rosier and full of color from going outside and eating much more properly. Even the old wounds I had from those brats at the orphanage had made from throwing stones and rocks at me were healing. I watched a bittersweet smile creep along my opposite self. I was recovering... Or so it seemed.

Evan actually visited me recently over the past couple of days. I felt like I could trust him because unlike Adam, he genuinely cared and didn't judge me for every single thing I did. Claus was right about the advice he gave me about talking to others, so I told the kind spirit of my troubles (he looked really happy I was opening up to him). There was something that I'd told him in particular that he had given me a lot to think about. "Did you really want to run away?" "Do you think you could have stopped yourself?" "Are you sure it wasn't really you?" "Are you sure it wasn't what you wanted? Didn't you hate her?" He changed the way I thought about what I did, and it was beginning to frighten me a little bit. I wish I didn't care about what happened to _her_, but when I try to think I didn't do anything, something in the back of my head keeps telling me "You wanted to do it, you know you did." I know it wasn't really me, I just _know_, but I was still the one who did it. That holds me responsible, right? Maybe if I hadn't been such a coward and I wasn't such a weakling, I could have prevented it. I couldn't, and it was my fault. It was my fault it happened, even if it was… whatever that was that really did it, it was still in control of my body. It was all my fault.

Darkening, hateful eyes ferociously glared gaping holes into my image, so much pent up aggression just waiting to be released. With little thought at all, my fist crashed upon the mirror and shattered the old, frail glass. It's funny, now that the reflection was broken, it revealed myself as I truly was: _distorted. _The pain stung harshly as small shards dug into my flesh, blood steadily flowing and rolling down my arm in thin streams. I panted heavily, as if I had held my breath underwater for such a long time and desperately rose up for oxygen. Tears formed at the corners of my eyes, but I was able to contain them and not cry out from the pain. "Gr-great, that was a smart m-move," I scolded myself, "I'm going to have trouble explaining th-this one." "Hey, why'd you do that?" I swiftly twisted my head in the voice's direction, discovering a thoroughly confused Claus perched on the windowsill Indian-style. Shrieking with surprise, I fell backwards on the stone flooring. The mirror pieces pressed further into me by force and scraped my bones, the million shocks of pain jolted to my brain all at once, I screamed, "_SHIT!_ Wh-why'd you pop out of nowhere you fucking prick?!" "Oh crap.", he whispered with wide eyes as blood gushed from my hand. My vision began to fade quickly, my body going cold as I was drained of my fluids. My mouth opened and closed rapidly with burning gasps, my eyelids shutting as I lost consciousness...

v(-_-)v

The gentle, rhythm of rain's pitter patter touched my awakening ears, the calm little droplets slashing onto stone. My left hand was numb, yet blazing as an inferno would, wrapped tightly in torn sheets stained with dry blood in front of my face. My back was laid against something comfortable and warm, I think they were someone's legs. I carefully craned my neck, and my eyes found a familiar face straight ahead, somehow I could tell who it was through my clouded vision. "Cl-Claus...", I coughed, my tongue turning to cotton and foam. A quiet reply came instead of the snide sarcasm I expected, "Thank god you're alive, you had me worried. I was scared that I killed you. I'm sorry for scaring you like that…" My eye sight was beginning to clear up and I could now see the expression on his face. It… strange to see him without an arrogant smirk, but with wet, flushed cheeks and a regretful frown. I almost didn't believe wat I was seeing, he didn't look like the jackass I knew. I could feel one of his hands carefully massaging my scalp, with tender and light fingers tangled in my wavy locks. _He can't be… He's not himself…_

"Wh-what the hell is wrong with you...?", I mumbled faintly. The ginger seemed puzzled, "What do you mean?" "You usually act like an a-asshole to me all the time, and now you're p-pretending to care about me? I swear you just love playing with other people's emotions..." When his expression changed to one of horror, I wanted to laugh like a mad man for how he still felt the need to keep up the charade, but I suppressed the urge to do so. "What are you talking about? I'm not pretending. I think you might have lost a little too much blood…" I snorted with disgust. _I hate it when people put on stupid façades like that, he's almost as terrible as her. _"Her? Who do you mean?", asked Claus.

Though pain filled me, I bolted up and got on my feet speedily. Heat spread across my face as I frantically shouted at the young man, "D-did you just read my mind?! You bastard!" He only shrugged apologetically, "S-sorry, I can't really control that, it j-just happens! It's not like I did it on purpose..." Before he could fake another sorry, I raced down the spiral staircase and kept on going through the castle. _Why did he even come here?! Stupid bastard should've just stayed away from me!_

Tears streamed from my eyes, there were too many to be stopped. I was so dizzy from the blood loss that I couldn't even see where I was running. I banged into a statue, I stumbled before sinking to the floor and cradled my head. I didn't care about that idiot catching up if he actually followed me, there wasn't any point in doing so. A light hand rested onto my shoulders that rose and fell with them from my constant hiccuping, I didn't even try swatting it away. "I'm sorry if I upset you, it isn't something I can control. I really wish you'd stop pushing me away, I only want t-" I don't know what, but something inside of me bursted at the word "sorry". Next, I found myself with my good hand colliding with the side of Claus's face, I could feel myself letting go and my cries become louder.

"YOU DAMN IDIOT, LEAVE ME THE HELL ALONE! STOP APOLIGIZING, I DON'T EVEN CARE! I DON'T NEED YOU TO HELP ME OR DO ANYTHING, YOU'RE JUST ANOTHER ASSHOLE! YOU DON'T UNDERSTAND A DAMN THING ABOUT ME, SO JUST PISS OFF ALREADY!" My throat hurt badly, I haven't yelled like that in a long time. The air was still, except for the childish sniffles that came out of me with my heavy breathing. I blinked with realization with what I just did, I bit the inside of my cheek nervously. _What's wrong with me? Even if I hate him, I think I went too far… He might have been telling the truth, too. I'm... such an idiot. _I wordlessly got up, limping away ever so slightly. I was taken by surprise when Claus held me back by my wrist. His grip was gentle, yet firm. "I don't understand you? Is that really what you really think? Whenever you're around me, I hear your thoughts, so I know why you're like this and I know why you act the way you do. You push people away all the time, and don't want anyone to get close to you. You try so hard to distance yourself from others to the point you won't talk to anyone about what's bothering you and it's been eating you up inside. You try acting tough when, honestly, you're afraid of your own shadow and yourself. I know about the things that have happened to you, and you actually believed you're cursed and that you'll affect anyone who comes close to you...

"... It's because you want to "protect" them from "yourself", isn't that right?"

I stared back at him with saucer sized eyes, meeting with a sorrowful, viridian one. Other than that, his expression was completely unreadable. I opened my mouth, as if I wanted to speak, but no words came out. A kind smile graced his lips, "You're not an idiot, you're just a kid who hasn't had the best luck or people to be around. Trust me, that's normal." It was strange, almost foreign to hear that word. Normal. Everything around me, including myself, was anything but normal. I looked down at my dirt covered shoes, with torn black laces from rough treatment. I let out a puff of breath, Evan and Adam were right, I couldn't hide something like that forever. Claus can hear my thoughts, whether I want him to or not. And I don't. "I'll tell you...," I murmured, "... About her. If you promise not to tell Lucas." "I promise." I was hesitant to believe him, but it's not like he wouldn't have found out about it later. It was better if he heard the truth from me.

"Two years ago, my mother tried to kill me."


	13. Chapter Twelve

**Chapter Twelve: A Boy Like Cinderella**

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Welp. Damn. Not sure what to say since I'm tired and my tongue is burning from puffy Cheetos scratching it, so yeah. Enjoy.

_**DISCLAIMER: (looks at username) Does that say Shigesato Itoi? Does it?**_

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_Barri POV_

My "mother" was a terrible woman. My dad passed away when I was young, or so she said. I don't have many memories of him or really anything before I was six years old, but I think that was just me trying to block out the memories of what had happened while I lived with that woman. We lived in a further away village at the edge of the Cixot Forest, it was called Endleaf. She treated me like Cinderella, making me have to clean after her, making me feel like garbage, and never letting me make any friends in our small town. Not that I wanted to anyways, everyone there ignored me, thinking I was just a stupid boy. In our mansion-like house with two empty bedrooms, she made me live in the dark basement where she kept, what were my father's, books she called "useless" (because she couldn't read) and threw dead rats and lizards down the stairs instead of putting them outside. I was supposed sleep (more like pass out from exhaustion) on an ancient, torn curtain that was a ghastly magenta and a lumpy bag stuffed with tissues that I made myself. I loathed her; her verbal abuse, harsh punishments, all of it.

Needless to say I planned to escape.

She never looked in the broom closet, that's where I stored the cleaning supplies. I hid a backpack with supplies I accumulated over time: clothes, food to keep me alive for a few days, an unused journal I found in her room, a big plastic covering for a tent, some books I used to teach myself how to read, and a fine point knife for protecting myself from thieves and bandits. It wasn't that difficult for me to get what I needed, it was putting my blue prints into action that was the issue. She didn't have a regular schedule for when she left the house, so I had to always be on guard.

That day, she dragged me out from my cellar to scrub the kitchen like she usually did, scolding me for not getting the job done already though she kept the basement locked. I scraped the wet rag over the floor, occasionally looking into the dirty water to see my unhealthy, bruise painted face, wondering if she would ever just go away. She did, she left for the market, threatening to rip my tongue off if the floor wasn't sparkling by the time she got back.

Of course, I knew she wouldn't get that opportunity.

As soon as she was gone, I grabbed my bag, used the knife to unlock the back door, and made my escape. I was relieved, I was almost done with my goal. Or so I thought.

She came back.

She must have misplaced something and returned. She found the back door. _"BOY!" _She always called me that, I didn't have a name back then. As soon as I saw her flaring, hideous eyes, I bolted for the forest. My mind was a blur as I raced through the maze of snow and trees, going as fast as my thin legs would carry me. I was tripped by an old tree root, the knife and bag flew out of my grasp. It was too late. She caught up to me. She took the dagger I'd dropped. I tried getting up, but she nabbed a deep slash at my stomach. I was scared. I didn't want to die. She cornered me, I couldn't escape. I believed I was going to be murdered in the forest.

Then I heard a voice. It said something, but I don't remember what. I couldn't move my body after that, it was as if someone was controlling my movements and my actions. Somehow, I got the knife away from her, but then I just started stabbing her. A lot. I didn't want to do it, and I wanted to stop, but whatever had control of me just kept stabbing her long after she'd bled out. I was covered in blood, there was just so much of it, and almost all of it was from her. My mind started to white out and I was becoming so faint that I couldn't remember what happened next. When I finally came back from whatever had come over me, she was nothing but a slump of flesh and bones beside me, somehow had mysterious burns and other gruesome mutilations that made her look as if she'd been mauled by a wild animal. I killed her… It was me…

v(-_-)v

"I got scared, and ran away. I got to Yume Forest and was found by an old woman who ran the orphanage. Two years later, Lucas adopted me... And here I am.", I quietly concluded to Claus, he gently rubbed the back of my head, it felt comforting. "How do you know you did it? Maybe-" "I might be a kid, but I'm not clueless. Don't make it seemed like I didn't do it, I couldn't control what I was doing, but it was still me…", I whispered, "I… still have nightmares about it, only it's worse. In my dream, she's like a shadow following me, but I'm not scared of her because whatever it is that was controlling me isn't afraid of her. Then… it just starts making me kill her, and it takes over my emotions and I become that monster… Just… laughing like I'm insane and enjoy killing her, but I don't. I'd never even think if killing anyone, no matter how much I hate them, that's just not the kind of person I am…" "I know that, and I understand what it's like to have someone else in control of your actions.", Claus murmured. _That's right… the Pig Mask Army… They had control over him for three years… _"Did you… did they ever make you kill anyone?" He didn't say anything, but that told me all I needed to know. I rolled off his lap and up on my feet, dusting the dirt off my pants. "It's hard to believe you're only nine," the ginger marveled, "You seem a lot older than that sometimes." I growled at him, "Nine and a half, idiot. My birthday's in February." He laughed, picking me up piggy back style despite my groans of disapproval, "Come on, let's get back before Lucas freaks." "Yeah", I huffed before becoming serious, "Don't tell Lucas what I told you... I don't want him to know about it just yet." "Okay."

I was skeptical.

_Claus POV_

I told Lucas what Barri told me.

"What?", my brother whispered with fearful eyes. Lucas had just finished putting the kid to bed, we sat in the living room as I told him. As I expected, he was extremely shocked. "He blames himself, but I've got the feeling it wasn't him." "No wonder he never said anything... But it's not like he really talks to me anymore. It feels like he's been avoiding me, so he must be upset with me..." I frowned, I didn't like how my brother was putting himself down, "Don't be so dramatic, he's a growing kid who's always in a crappy mood. He only told me because I just happen to be persistent and hard-headed." He seemed to lighten up, but his expression was still heavy, "Yeah..." I stood from the sofa and headed for the hallway, "Try not to worry, everything will be fine. 'Night."

My gaze shifted to the last door at the end of the corridor, half a body poked out from the room. Honey eyes stared at me, showing no emotion at all. I wanted to call out to him, but he retreated to his room in a flash.

_Great, I look like the bad guy again._


	14. Chapter Thirteen

**Chapter Thirteen: Deception**

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Things were a bit crazy last chapter, but there's still more bat shit and guano to be had. Onward!

_**DISCLAIMER: Did you read the last disclaimer? You should know this already, I just like making terrible/somewhat witty jokes and puns.**_

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_Barri POV_

I finished training with Pinkiedinks early on the twenty-eighth. She said her and Duster have been busy (like always) so she'd make up for the abrupt end in our next session. Lucas let me go take a trip in the forest, he wanted to go out to get the cooking ingredients that Claus requested for dinner. I sat at the edge of the river and let my bare feet be wrapped around in the water. I felt the lush, viridian blades on the ground twist around my fingers, I sighed heavily, "I'm exhausted..." _I wish Claus hadn't told Lucas about me… but I'm not mad at him for some reason. I wonder what he thinks of me now... I hope he doesn't hate me. He doesn't seem like the type to hate anyone, but..._

The sound of wind whirling reached my ears before Evan's voice, "What's wrong? You seem troubled." I looked into the river, looking back at my disappointed face, "Lucas and Claus know about her, and..." "And?" "I think Lucas might hate me.", came my reluctant mutter. The brunette crouched down to me and placed a tender hand on my shoulder, "He couldn't, you couldn't control the situation." "It was my fault," I argued, "I'm responsible for what happened." "It... was a long time ago, you shouldn't worry about the past." I shrugged his hand away and leaned back on the grass, I wanted to block him out to end the conversation. "So how is everyone?", Evan asked. "Claus is an idiot, Lucas is a worry-wart. Duster twisted his ankle, but he's fine. Boney's getting sick, but I think he'll be okay. And Kumatora is still annoying." "What about everything else?" I huffed with a reply, "Stressful as usual." He always asks the same questions, it's kind of weird, but it's not like he's Adam. _Now that I think about it, I haven't seen him for a while._ "Where's Adam? Shouldn't he be with you?" The spirit's eyes mysteriously darkened as he shifted them away from me, "I'm... not sure." His composure became rigid, my suspicion heighten. "You know something. Why are you hiding it?" "It's nothing important, don't worry.", he attempted to reassure me. I sat up with my elbows to support my weight. I glared at the boy, "Tell me, or I swear I'll-"

"You'll what?"

His voice changed. It was no longer sweet and full of compassion, it became twisted, sharp, and dare I say, _evil. _He leered at me with a terrible, sadistic grin. "What the hell are you doing? You look like a psycho.", I whispered with an alarmed voice. _Is this really the same kid? This has to be a joke... _I tried to scoot away from the frightening child, but he swiftly crouched down and snatched my shirt collar, "I can show you where my brother is." I vigorously shook my head, I was afraid to discover the answer. He pulled me off my feet as I screeched at him, "Let me go! What are you doing?!" He only cackled as I helplessly flailed my legs and scratched at his wrists. "Come on, I'll show you. I need you to be intact, so try not to move a lot, it'll make things harder for me." He pressed an ice-cold finger to my warm, sweaty forehead. Multiple flashes of light filled my vision, I could feel my breath become slow and shallow. My throat swelled and my lungs felt as though they'd been scorched by flames. My mind became fuzzy and my eyes began to close, and the last thing I could see was Evan with his demented, wicked smile.


	15. Chapter Fourteen

**Chapter Fourteen: Boy in the Black Cap**

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I told you, crazy. Now for more crazy. And mindfucks. A whole bunch of mindfucks.

_**DISCLAIMER: Disclaimdisclaimdisclaimdisclaimdisclaimdisclaimer disclaimdisclaimdisclaimdisclaimdisclaimdisclaimdi sclaimdisclaim...**_

_**Can you find the disclaimer?**_

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_Lucas POV_

"Where could he be? It's almost nine o'clock!", Claus groaned. "He said he'd be here..." I was reluctant to bring my brother with me to search for Barri, but he insisted he was terribly worried about the young psychic. The forest wasn't too safe at night, so we didn't want to take any chances.

"What's that?" There was something rustling past a few trees and bushes, and a small rodent's squeaks. "Shut up. Just die already. You wouldn't be in so much pain if you stopped fighting it.", chanted a child's quaint and hollow voice. The two of us slowly creeped through the foliage, and between some shrubs, we could see Barri crouched on the ground, facing away from us. "Barri? What's wrong?", I asked, "We've been looking for you." He raised his arm, with a wooden stake in his hand and brought it down swiftly. There was a high-pitched squeak and then silence. He turned to face us, red stained his hands and clothes, and he wore an unusually wide grin, "Hi Lucas. Hi Claus. Fancy meeting you here." My brother shook his head, "You're not Barri."

The imposter's smile grew, if even possible, "Woops, looks like you caught me, heh, red-handed. I guess I'll have to get rid of you now." Claus yanked me by the arm and we bolted away from the mystery child who began to shoot Freeze blasts at us. Claus lead the way to Drago Plateau, knowing it wouldn't be a good idea to head for the village. "What's going on?!", I shouted. "I don't know!" We hurried as the twisted child's laughter began to catch up to us.

_Barri POV_

_ "Hey… Barri? Open your eyes, Barri."_

I did as the familiar voice asked, meeting myself in a room of complete white with an… odd looking Jake. "Jake?" He was different, he wasn't transparent and he looked older; he actually looked like his age, twelve, for once. "What…" "C'mon, we've got a lot to explain to you." "We?"

I looked behind my friend, seeing two others standing there. The first one was Adam, who looked as grumpy as usual, but the other was someone I'd never met before. He was very tall and looked to be in his late teens, about nineteen, I would guess. He looked a bit like Jake, but he had darker hair and skin as pale as snow. He wore thick, square glasses that gave him some sense of maturity, but his habit and appearance suggested he seemed a lot more child-like. "What am I doing here? And who's that guy?"

The mystery person spoke, his voice was a bit whimsical, but in a sort of relaxed and natural way, "Oh right, I keep forgetting you don't know the "truth". You can just call me Andy, you could say I'm like these two squirts here." The blonde shook his head at the young man beside him, "Quit calling me a squirt, it's embarrassing." "You're just mad because you were kept in the dark this whole time while Evan and I knew the "truth". You know you're a bad actor, so the plan wouldn't have worked if you were in on it. Don't be so cranky.", Andy laughed at the little boy. As the two continued to bicker, Jake talked to me seriously, "Try to ignore them, they always fight like this. Anyway, we have to talk to you. It's about the "truth" of why you're here in this world…" _What the hell? What is he talking about? _"C'mon, we'll explain everything to you."

_Lucas POV_

We hid behind a large boulder for a few seconds, trying to catch our breath. "What... what happened to him?", I sputtered between gasps. "Dun-dunno, but th-that's definitely not him!" There was an explosion nearby and the sound of rock being decimated, accompanied with a loud, playful giggle, "Why are you two hiding? I just want to play a game!" "C'mon, in here.", my brother whispered, dragging me into a cramped, uninhabited cave.

"What the hell are we supposed to do?!", my brother silently freaked. "I don't know! We can't do anything, and knowing about what happened with his mother, that might really be him! It's not like we can hurt him, since that would hurt Barri too!", I replied frantically. The sound of crushing earth and insane laughter was getting louder, "Come out, come out wherever you are! You wouldn't want to be crushed by rocks, would you? That sounds like a very agonizing death!" "Dammit," Claus cursed, "We can't stay here forever…"

_Barri POV_

"So that's it…," I quaintly mumbled, feeling… oddly calm about this information, "That "truth" is really one big fat lie, a lie that doesn't really exist." Adam nodded, "That's right. According to Andy, the four of us had to do this; Jake, Andy, Evan and I did all this just for the two of you." "And you," I turned to the young man in glasses, "You're a time watcher like me and him, only you can see more than we can. That means you know what's going to happen, and that you're doing this for that reason, right?" "Well, of course," he replied, "This is all a bit too abstract for it not to have a reason. One way or another, you two needed to face your fears, and this is the way destiny planned it would go. Evan is helping you face your fears now, and then it will be _his_ turn to face his. Only when those tasks are completed will you be able to leave. Like I said, something like this was bound to happen, one way or another."

I'm starting to remember what happened… How they ambushed us, but now I can understand why they did it. The four of them are trying to help us, so I guess… "Okay, I want to go back now to go face it. I'm not exactly in love with the idea, but like you said, it has to be done. There's just one thing though." "Huh?", Jake was puzzled by my sudden words, "What is it?" "I want to help you guys. I want to help him too, so I'll do anything I can after I'm done with this." "Of course," Andy said cheerily, "That was part of the plan as well, though I will let you know that with your involvement, there may be some side effects. Nothing life threatening, but they could be a slight hindrance to you." "I don't care what it is, I'll risk my life if that's what it takes for my brother."

The young man smirked, "Very well then. I guess we should send you back now. We'll see you soon."


	16. Chapter Fifteen

**Chapter Fifteen: I Believe In You**

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I'm purposely making these last chapters short, due to laziness and the joy of making others annoyed and/or in pain. Yeah, I'm a jerk, but I'm a sadistic jerk, the worst variety of jerk! I'm even jerkier than chicken and even beef, I am the _Mega Jerk!_ Ahem, anyway… enjoy.

_**DISCLAIMER: If I owned Mother 3, the scene with Lucas and Ionia in the hot spring would not exist. (shudders)**_

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_Lucas POV_

We managed to escape the cave, but now we had been cornered high up in the mountains. We managed to work out a plan to at least sedate whoever it was I control of Barri. We hid in separate positions behind the boulders that sat about the plateau. I watched over the area as best I could, trying to find any traces of Barri's imposter. _I can't say this was well thought out, but what else can we do? I __really__ hope this works. _All was quiet until the soft padding of a child's shoes got louder, "Lucas? Claus? Where did you guys go? Why don't you just come on out? I promise I don't bite." We stayed where we were, just waiting for the chance to get the jump on him. He walked right past the boulder I hid behind, not seeming to notice my presence. I made a signal to Claus, now confirming it was time to strike with his back turned. I readied my attack with my hands in front of me, "Hypno-" "PK Fire Beta!"

_Crap, he knew! _The attack threw both of us back, my brother was smacked against a tree, not harmed too badly, but unconscious. My skin was hot and began to itch, but the embers packed more physical force than elemental power. "C-Claus?", I coughed weakly, even though I knew he would not answer. I tried getting up from the ground I'd been tossed on, but it was no use trying to stand. I weakly swung my arm out for another chance, "Hy-Hypn-" "PK Freeze Alpha!" The attack struck my chest, causing it to tighten as the air in my lungs was shoved out forcefully. "Ha, don't you see that it's useless?", the insane child chuckled, "There's no way you can fight me in your condition-Argh!"

For some reason, the dark-haired boy began to stumble with his head cradled in his hands, "St-stop fighting back, you pest! This is my body now! – Shut up, that's not for you to decide! Get out of here, this is my body! – Shut up, shut up!" _What is this? Is that really him in there? He must be fighting whatever's controlling him! _"C-C'mon, Barri!", I cheered him on, "You can fight it, I believe in you!" "Shut up, this isn't of your concern! Ju – Give me back my body, get out! – Never! I won't surrender-Ah!"

Something in Barri's chest began to shine like a twinkling star, and then a white light blinded my eyes.


	17. Chapter Sixteen

**Chapter Sixteen: The Power to Protect**

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The final chapter. It has arrived. My body is Reggie.

_**DISCLAIMER: No, I don't own it. PROBREM!?**_

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_Lucas POV_

Barri's body stood as still as death and the transparent body of a little, blonde boy was sent flying out of him. He stumbled weakly as he came over to me, kneeling down before me. His face was blank and void, but it looked as if he was… regretful. "I'm sorry, for both you and Claus, and anyone who I've ever cared about here," he said with an apologetic frown, "I loved you all from the bottom of my heart, even if… You… I just want you to know that I won't ever forget you guys, no matter what happens. And… I hope that I'll always be remembered by you all." His shoulders shook as his eyes began to leak profusely, but… he was smiling with a pained, hurtful smile. _Why is he saying that? It's almost as if… _My eyes widened with fear, "Barri, what are you going to do?" He didn't say anything, he only smiled with regret. I took the boy by the shoulders, shaking him, "What are you going to do?! Tell me, dammit, you're scaring me!" "This is difficult for me too. I really am sorry…"

"You idiot!", the transparent boy who had was thrown far back was now limping towards Barri with a snarling glare, "You really thought you could fight against me?" _That voice… It's just like the ones that talk to him…_ "You really are pathetic," Barri turned away from me, his face and voice indifferent, "You try to pretend that you have control over everything when you really don't, it's sad. No wonder why I feel like I can relate to you." _Is that… how he's been feeling this whole time? _"Shut up!", the boy screeched, "You don't know a thing about me!" "You're right. I don't. I don't know anything about you, but I do know that you're like me, whether you like it or not. Then again, I used to be afraid of myself, but I'm not afraid of you. Not anymore." The blonde boy growled, "That is it! PK F-"

"PK Protect."

There was a flash of colorful lights that engulfed everything except the one who brought upon this great power: Barri. The power emitted its own aura of loyalty, fear, raw passion, anger, trust, and so many emotions clustered in the overflow. I could feel the essence of the great power breezing past me like the warm, tender winds of summer. I knew all of this energy belonged to him, but I couldn't believe he could control such strength. _Barri… you really have grown as a person…_

The lights died down, the evil child was nowhere to be found. Barri stood far from me, seeming as though he could drop any second. He stumbled to me before tripping over his feet right beside me. "B-Barri...?" "I-I'm sorry. I've never had very… good self control," he breathed raspily, his tired eyes making contact with my own, "I'm out of t-time." I tried to blink back my tears, but failed to control them as I sharply hiccupped, "N-n-no! Please don't leave us!" He smiled. It was weak and sorrowful, like he knew just how much we'd miss him and wish for him to stay, but knew he could do nothing to change his fate. This couldn't be real, it had to be a bad dream. It was a nightmare, but it wasn't one I would be waking up from.

"Don't cry for me, I'm not even w-worth the tears. Trust me, I'll be j-j-just fine..." His tears rolled off his skin and into the dirt. This couldn't be goodbye. It couldn't. "And th-thanks to you, Claus, Duster B-Boney, and Kumatora... thanks for being my f-f-friends. I don't deserve it, but it w-was... nice... wh-while it... lasted..." Ever so slowly, his eyelids began to droop.

I lost conciousness before they fully closed.

v(-_-)v

When I woke up, I was home and in bed. Duster found Claus and I on Drago Plateau, he and Kumatora helped us get back to Tazmily without attracting the attention of the villagers. Claus had a minor concussion, though he managed to live, and I got off with a tiny twisted ankle that was easily healed by my brother. I asked our saviors what happened to Barri, but they only looked at me with a confused expression.

He disappeared. It was like he was never even there with us.

Claus wanted to search for him, but I told him how I was afraid to go looking for someone in the mountains. He assumed Barri would just come right through the door, covered in dirt and swearing up a storm, but I knew better. That never happened. Kumatora and I made a lie for the villagers, saying Barri fell off out fence and drowned in the ocean. They tried to look, but of course, there was no body. I closed myself off again, even after Duster and Kumatora's wedding in the winter, the death of Boney, Claus being found out by the villagers on New Years, and the new addition to the house, Zero the tabby. I couldn't find it in myself to be joyful like I used to be, it didn't matter to me, but it was okay with me. It was because I always remembered. I remembered him, it made him happy wherever he was.

That's all that really mattered.

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

… The End…?


	18. The Final Chapter

**Chapter Seventeen: It Really Was Goodbye…**

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Yeah, so this is the real final chapter of this fic, not trolling you this time. Like I've stated before: I am a jerk, you should expect this sort of thing. Anyway, enough about jerkiness, let us finish off this story. Also yes, I really did pull _that _card. **Deal with it.**

_**DISCLAIMER: Seriously, have you not been paying attention to the other disclaimers?**_

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_Two Years Later..._

_Lucas POV_

I couldn't fall asleep, but that was normal for me. I pulled my winter coat closer around me, shivering from the chilling snow of early December. I exited the clearing where the graves of mom, dad, grandpa, and Boney rested. I normally visited them on dark, cold nights like the current one when sleep seemed to evade me. I admired the ice crystals, how they lightly descended and molded with others of their kind to create a white wonderland. It was beautiful, but I knew beauty such as that could never last. Soon, the ice would be replaced with sweet blossoms of spring, and summer, then die in the early days of autumn before repeating the cycle once more. It seemed comfortable to live a simple life, just going forward and changing in a set pattern, just like a clock. If only I could have a life like that. It was nice to fantasize such things out of my grasp, it kept me from thinking about things I'd rather forget.

I shook my head, getting back to reality; I tend to space out and think strange things like that from time to time. _I should get back before Zero wakes Claus up again. _Just as I began to leave, I sensed a strong presence from the palace behind me. I was a continuous pulse that beat like a heart, it even emitted living emotions. _Pain... and fear... this energy is alive, but the castle is full of ghosts... _

I immediately changed my course for the abandoned castle, the moat was down, so there was no difficulty getting in. Unlike my brother and Kumatora, I didn't sneak into the palace on a regular basis for kicks, the crumbling walls and that odd composer didn't really do it for me. I also wasn't familiar with the layout enough to travel and roam the castle. Luckily, my abilities showed me the way to the source. _I wonder who could be in a place like this..._

My instincts lead me to a large bedroom, dusty and falling apart. Moonlight streamed through the cracked windows, so I wasn't completely in the dark. There was the sound of dry, heavy breathing, I could tell it was human. Whomever it belonged to possessed a quiet, medium toned voice judging by the gasps. "Who's there?" "H-help..." It was a boy, I suspected he could be no older than sixteen, his voice trembled greatly. I peered around the great bed where the boy writhed, he was fairly tall for the age I suspected him to be, but he was terribly thin and had pale skin. It was too dark for me to see all of him, but I noticed he was pressing a hand to his abdomen, his arm was covered with something red. "Are you hurt?", I asked calmly. There was a strangled cough, I assumed that to be a yes. I kneeled down and tried to help him up, he quickly lost his balance and fell on top of me. He had raven hair, it was dirty and uneven in some places, like it had been sheared off with scissors. "Be careful, you'll hurt yourself.", I warned him, unintentionally coming off curt. He shivered and gave a small whimper, "S-sorry... ow..." He looked up to me, I saw his face. I felt my breath stop. _This is impossible! _"Barri is that you?" His large pools of gold mimicked my confused expression.

"Who?"

_They Happen for the Best... The End._


End file.
